OPEN WATER SWIMMERS NAMED FOR JUNIOR PAN PACS

SYDNEY, December 1, 2008: Swimming Australia has today named four swimmers to contest the 10 kilometre open water events at next month's Junior Pan Pacs in Guam.

Nunawading Victoria's Belinda Bennett, already named in the Telstra Dolphins Australian team to contest the pool events has now added the open water to her busy schedule after the NSW Championships and Junior Pan Pac Trials at Penrith Regatta Centre on Sunday.Ian Hanson reports...

She will be joined by Miami Queensland's Danielle De Francesco in the women's team and Hunter NSW's Jarrod Killey and City of Perth WA's Rhys Mainstone in the men's team.

Killey was previously selected to contest the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney next month but he has now withdrawn from that team.

The Australian selectors have recommended that Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre NSW's Alexander Patrulescu be added to the AYOF Team.

The Coaches selected will be Greg Towle (National OWS Coach) and Nick Veliades (Nunawading).

Towle, who guided Australia's open water team to its first Olympic campaign in Beijing, is excited by the future talent.

"Swimming Australia has a plan to develop distance swimmers in the pool and in the open water - and to have swimmers coming into open water from the pool and still swimming pool events is very encouraging," said Towle.

"Someone like Belinda Bennett, who qualified for the pool team in her own right and then made the open water team is certainly a credit to her and her coach Nick Veliades.

"Our guys are starting to learn how to swim smarter and that will hold them in good stead for future competitions."

The five-day Junior Pan Pacs (Guam, January 8-12) and The Australian Youth Olympic Festival (Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, January 15-18) are pathways to Australia's senior Telstra Dolphins Teams.