Twichell & O'Connor Place in the Top 15 in Nationals

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Duke swimmers Ashley Twichell and Rose O'Connor competed at the 2010 10K and 5K Open Water National Championships over the weekend, posting a pair of top 15 finishes in the 5K race. Twichell and O'Connor were joined by swimmers from across the country at the two-day event, which was held at the Long Beach Marine Stadium in Long Beach, Calif., on June 4-6. The Open Water National Championship 10K and 5K races also served as the 2010 National Open Water Team trials.

Both Twichell and O'Connor excelled in the 5K race on Sunday, finishing among the top 15 in a field of 50 competitors. Twichell claimed ninth overall with an adjusted time of 1:03:00.915 after completing the first 1K/2K leg in 12:06.666. O'Connor took 15th, recording an adjusted time of 1:03:29.851 in the race.

In Friday's 10K open water race, O'Conner finished 24th in the field of 39 with a time of 2:12:27.090. Meanwhile, Twichell posted a time of 2:19:24.403 to finish 36th.

A native of Fayetteville, N.Y., Twichell helped Duke to a 28th-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships in March. She took 14th nationally in the 1650 freestyle and 43rd in the 500 free, while finishing fifth in the 500 at the ACC Championships earlier this year.

O'Connor posted Duke's third-best performances of the season in the 1000 and 1650 freestyle. A product of Green Village, N.J., O'Connor notched a time of 17:15.65 in the 1650 free against South Carolina.

Full results from the 2010 10K and 5K Open Water National Championships can be found at https://secure.powerhousetiming.com/powerhouse/webpages/raceResults.jsp?raceId=255.

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