Eric Namesnik

Eric John Namesnik (August 7, 1970 – January 11, 2006) was an Olympic swimmer for the United States. He was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburb of Butler, Pennsylvania. Namesnik won silver medals in the 400-meter individual medley at both the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics. He also won a bronze medal in the 400 IM at the 1994 world championships, and two silvers at the 1991 world meet. He broke the American record for the 400 m IM four times.

Namesnik, nicknamed "Snik", swam for the Butler YMCA Swim team. Then swm for University of Michigan (1989-93), then spent seven years as an assistant with the men's team there, during that time eleven Olympians were on the team and it won three Big Ten championships. He then was a volunteer assistant coach at Eastern Michigan University for two years before his death and was a coach for the Wolverine Aquatics Club.

He died on January 11, 2006 from injuries sustained in a car accident the prior week. He was critically injured in the January 7, 2006 accident, which was caused by his attempt to pass other vehicles on Carpenter Road south of Merritt Road in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. Namesnik is survived by his wife, former swimmer Kirsten Silvester from The Netherlands, and their two children, Austin and Madison. One week after his death his swimmers competed in a meet that was dedicated to his memory. Club Wolverine of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Namesnik's former club team, hosts the Namesnik Memorial Grand Prix every spring in his honor.

bcacswim.com (click on records)