ROBERVAL, QUEBEC - UVic men's swimming recruit Richard Weinberger swam a career-best 13th place finish in the Men's 10km Open Water race on Sunday at the 6e FINA World Championships. Navigating the frigid waters of Lac St-Jean, Weinberger passed 17 swimmers down the stretch to punch his ticket to next month's Pan-Pacific Swimming Championships held in Irvine, California.

"I'm really happy with my race," said the 20-year-old Weinberger. "It was my best race ever and to have this type of performance a year before the Olympic qualifier is very encouraging."

Weinberger, who committed to UVic for the upcoming 2009-10 season has swam with the Pacific Coast Swimming program since graduating from high school in White Rock, B.C.

Vikes head coach Peter Vizsolyi has been impressed by Weinberger's recent form and is looking forward to maximizing his potential at the CIS level.

"I know Richard very well and am very excited to have another world class athlete coming to the program," Vizsolyi said. "He is very accomplished in the open water and working in a team environment here at UVic will provide the opportunity to develop his abilities in the short course."

For full results visit the Roberval 2010 website.