USA Swimming’s Open Water National Championships, hosted in partnership by Visit Sarasota County, is coming to Nathan Benderson Park from April 21st through April 23rd. National champion titles, as well as slots on the Open Water National Team, National Junior Team and several international teams will be on the line as over 240 swimmers from across the country, as well as some from Spain, Sweden and Japan are expected to compete in the three-day competition. Swimming begins Friday with the 10K, followed by the junior 5K on Saturday and concluding with the open 5K and junior 7.5K on Sunday. Notable athletes include Ashley Twichell (2020 Olympian), Katie Grimes (2022 10K national champion), Michael Brinegar (2020 Olympian and six-time U.S. National Team member) and much more. The Sarasota Sharks Swim Team, will be proudly sponsoring the event and several athletes from their team will also be competing throughout the weekend. Admission for the event is free to spectators, and those interested in watching from home can tune in at www.usaswimming.org/watch. A full schedule of meet times happening during the event can be seen here: https://www.usaswimming.org/event/2023/04/21/default-calendar/open-water-championships.