Five Current Gators and Two Former Gators Set to Compete in Pan Pacific Championships
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Five current Gators and two former Gators will represent four different countries at the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships from Aug. 18-22 in Irvine, Calif. University of Florida head swimming coach Gregg Troy will coach the men's U.S. squad.
“Having so many Gators competing at one of the biggest international meets of the year really gives our program great visibility,” Troy said. “The wealth of experience they will attain in Irvine will prove invaluable in helping our program reach its goals this upcoming season.”
Anchoring the host country will be former Gator and two-time Olympian Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.), while rising junior Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) and incoming freshman Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) will make up the Gator contingent on the U.S. women's squad. Former Gator Shaune Fraser (Georgetown Cayman Islands), along with his brother Brett Fraser, will compete for their native Cayman Islands. Sophomore Sebastien Rousseau (Cape Town, South Africa) will represent the Republic of South Africa, while sophomore Sarra Lajnef (Tunis, Tunisia) will compete for Tunisia.
“The chance for a lot of our young swimmers like Teresa, Elizabeth and Sarra to compete at this high of a level is a great opportunity for them,” Troy said. “For athletes like Brett, Shaune and Sebastien, this is a tremendous meet that will adequately prepare them for the Commonwealth games in October.”
The Pan Pacific Championships will be broadcast on NBC on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22 and will be webcast on the Swim Network. Additionally, Universal Sports will provide coverage in select areas on Aug. 18. To check availability in your area, click here.
The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships are held under the oversight of the Pan Pacific Swimming Association and is the top international meet of 2010 for the U.S. National Team. The Association was established in the mid 1980s and is made up of the four founding swimming federations – Swimming Australia, Swimming Canada, the Japan Amateur Swimming Federations and USA Swimming. These charter nations developed the concept of a biennial swimming competition to provide their national teams with first class international competition between the two major international swimming competitions – the Olympic Games and the FINA World Championships.
Gators Competing
Swimmer Country Events
Elizabeth Beisel USA 100 & 200 Back, 200 & 400 IM
Teresa Crippen USA 200 Back, 200 Fly, 200 & 400 IM
Brett Fraser Cayman Islands 100 Fly, 50, 100 & 200 Free
Shaune Fraser* Cayman Islands 100 Fly, 50, 100, 200 & 400 Free,
Sarra Lajnef Tunisia 50, 100 & 200 Breast, 200 Free, 200 & 400 IM
Ryan Lochte* USA 200 & 400 IM, 100, 200 Free & 400 Free, 100 & 200 Back
Sebastien Rousseau South Africa 100 & 200 Fly, 200 & 400 IM
* Former Gator
2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships TV Schedule
Date Station Time (EST)
Aug. 18-22 Swim Network Online All Day
Aug. 18 Universal Sports 9 p.m.
Aug. 21 NBC 4 p.m.
Aug. 22 NBC 5 p.m.
