Eric John Namesnik (August 7, 1970 – January 11, 2006), nicknamed "Snik," was an American competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

and two-time Olympic silver medalist in the men's 400-meter individual relay (1992 & 1996).

Early years

Namesnik was born and raised in the town of

Butler, Pennsylvania Butler is a city and the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Pittsburgh and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 13,502. History Butler was na ...

, and swam for the Butler YMCA Swim team while he was growing up. He initially attended

Butler Area Senior High School Butler Area Senior High School is a coeducational public senior high school in Butler, Pennsylvania, United States, serving grades 10–12. It is the senior high school for the Butler Area School District. The school was founded in 1908, moved to ...

, transferring after his sophomore season to

Spanish River Community High School Spanish River Community High School is a public, coeducational high school in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. It is part of the School District of Palm Beach County and serves the cities of Boca Raton and Delray Beach. History Spanish River Community ...

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

. He accepted a swimming scholarship from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, to compete under coach

Jon Urbanchek Jon Urbanchek (born August 23, 1936) is an American swimming coach, best known for his 22-year tenure as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team of the University of Michigan from 1982 to 2004.Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving The Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving program has both a men's and women's team. The University of Michigan swimming program is one of the most highly respected college swimming programs in the country. The men's and women's teams, which ha ...

team from 1989 to 1993.

Swimming career

Namesnik represented the United States at two consecutive Olympic Games. At the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

in Barcelona, Spain, he received his first Olympic medal, a silver, for his second-place performance in the men's 400-meter individual medley (4:15.57). Four years later at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, he again finished second and received a silver medal in his signature event, the men's 400-meter individual medley (4:15.25).Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes
Eric Namesnik
. Retrieved January 14, 2023. He also won a bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the 1994 world championships, and two silvers at the 1991 world meet. He set a new American record in the 400-meter individual medley on four occasions. He later spent seven years (1997-2004) as an assistant with the men's

Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving The Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving program has both a men's and women's team. The University of Michigan swimming program is one of the most highly respected college swimming programs in the country. The men's and women's teams, which ha ...

team under coach

Jon Urbanchek Jon Urbanchek (born August 23, 1936) is an American swimming coach, best known for his 22-year tenure as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team of the University of Michigan from 1982 to 2004.Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

for two years before his death and was a coach for Wolverine Aquatics Club in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

Death

Namesnik died on January 11, 2006, from injuries sustained in a car accident the prior week. On January 7, 2006, he was critically injured in an accident that occurred when he attempted to pass another vehicle on an ice-covered road in

Pittsfield Township, Michigan Pittsfield Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 34,663 at the 2010 census. Communities * Lucerne is a former settlement within the township that had its own post office fro ...

. He was survived by his wife, former swimmer Kirsten Silvester from the Netherlands, and their two children, Austin and Madison. His former club team, Club Wolverine, hosts the Namesnik Memorial Grand Prix every spring in his honor. He is memorialized with a statue outside of the Butler County YMCA, along with his childhood coach John "Pump" McLaughlin.

References

External links

*
Eric Namesnik Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Namesnik, Eric 1970 births 2006 deaths American male breaststroke swimmers American male medley swimmers American swimming coaches Eastern Michigan University people Michigan Wolverines men's swimmers Michigan Wolverines swimming coaches Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming People from Butler, Pennsylvania Road incident deaths in Michigan Sportspeople from Pennsylvania Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1995 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games 20th-century American people

Early years

Swimming career

Death

See also

References

External links