April 27, 2012

FORT MYERS, Fla.--Arizona State women's swimmer and All-American Tristin Baxter finished in fifth place in the USA Swimming Open Water National Championships, Friday, in Fort Myers, Fla. Baxter's time of 2:03:57.786 in the 10k event was only 51 seconds off first-place finisher Ashley Twichell, who earned a spot on the US Olympic team with her victory.

This marks the first time Baxter, a distance swimmer for Arizona State and the school record holder in the 1000 free and the 1650 free, has finished in the lead pack in the event. With her fifth place finish, Baxter was named as a member of the USA Swimming Open Water National Team for 2012.

In March, Baxter earned NCAA All-American honors with her eighth place finish in the 1650 free at the 2012 NCAA Championships. The sophomore also took home the silver medal at the Pac-12 Championships with her second-place finish in the event.

A 10k race is significantly longer than her NCAA events. To put the event in perspective, competing in a 10k is equal to swimming 6.2 miles.

Baxter's Course: