Sept. 5, 2006
NAPLES, Italy -- Former Northwestern distance swimmer Erica Rose was named USA Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year after turning in a fourth-place finish Sept. 5 in the 25K race at the 2006 FINA Open Water World Championships, the best finish of her career in the event.
Rose, the 2005 United States champion in the 25k open water event, turned in a time of six hours, 24 minutes, 13.7 seconds in the race. She finished just 1:26.8 behind the gold medalist.
"I was really excited about the race today, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out," Rose said. "It was a small field, but a very experienced and strong field of women in the race. I knew I would have to swim a smart race in order to be competitive. Everything went smoothly, and I was able to stay with the lead pack.
"The coaches and I did a great job working together for the feeds. Looking over to see my teammates cheering for me with the American flag really helped me get through the race."
Rose has five overall national open water championships in her career and won the 1998 5K world championship. A 2004 graduate of Northwestern, Rose ranks on the Wildcats' all-time depth charts in the 1000 and 1650 free events.