Brennan Gravley of Sandpipers was the second American to finish in the men’s 5K at the 2019 US Open Water Nationals, earning himself a spot on the 2019 World Championships roster in Gwangju this summer. Gravley also earned himself a spot in the 25K at Worlds.
Brennan Gravley finished fifth behind American Zane Grothe, who was fourth behind the Italian contingent led by Gregorio Paltrinieri. Grothe ultimately deferred his spot to sixth-place finisher Michael Brinegar due to his already busy schedule in South Korea. Brinegar just finished his freshman year at Indiana, where he was runner-up in the 1650 at NCAA’s, and will join Gravley as a first-timer on the US roster for World Championships.
In his post-race interview with Swimming World, Gravley talked about how the race was a real learning experience for him, describing how the Italians really “pushed the pace” and how there was more contact at the finish than he has seen from competitors in the United States.
Gravley also talked about how the Sandpipers train for open water, adding that he feels the best way to get experience with open water is to race. His Sandpipers teammate, Erica Sullivan, also qualified for Worlds in the 25K with her third place finish in the 10K. The 18-year-old also mentioned looking forward to his upcoming freshman season at the University of Florida after taking a gap year this season to train.
