Penn State junior swimmer Margy Keefe (Cincinnati, Ohio) surprised the field of 28 at the 2005 FINA World Championships on Sunday, capturing second-place for the United States in the 5K Open Water Swimming race with a time of 55 minutes, 44.3 seconds.

Keefe came within 4.2 seconds of becoming Penn State's first-ever world champion swimmer. She led at the halfway point and at the 4.5K mark, but she was eventually passed by Russia's Larisa Ilchenko, who successfully defended her world championship in the same event with a time of 55:40.1.

The Netherlands' Edith Van Dijk finished third in 55:46.6, and the United States' Sara McLarty, a graduate of the University of Florida, took fourth in 55:56.1

"Words cannot do justice to how proud we are of Margy," said Bill Dorenkott, Penn State men's and women's swimming and diving head coach. "To represent herself, her family, Penn State and the United States on the international stage at World Championships is nothing less than awesome.

"(Penn State assistant coach) Ed Bartsch and our distance training group did a wonderful job of preparation for the race. Margy has been on fire in the training pool since coming back from World Championship Trials in April. That training group has been absolutely punishing themselves and each other this spring and summer, and the results speak for themselves."

Keefe was a member of the U.S. Junior National Open Water Team that competed in the Cayman Islands in the fall of her senior year in high school. She is a four-time honorable mention All-American at Penn State, and a two-time NCAA qualifier.

Keefe, who has three older brothers who swam competitively - two at the U.S. Naval Academy, and one at Miami of Ohio, competed with 27 other competitors in the 1976 Olympic Rowing Basin, in which the water temperature was about 78 degrees.

"Margy was a relative unknown on the international level," Dorenkott said. "Not anymore. She has set herself up very well for the future. Penn State plans to shine in Omaha, Neb. (site of the 2008 U.S.A. Swimming Trials), and this is a step along the way.

"Margy is 5-foot-4, and barely over 100 pounds soaking wet, but she is a warrior in the water. Pound for pound, she is one of the toughest kids to ever wear the Blue and White. She was not blessed with an abundance of talent, but has made up for it with pure desire and heart. She is a very special young lady."

From the start, the Australian and German swimmers sprinted ahead of the pack with Keefe and McLarty in the middle of the large lead group. The Americans occasionally swam together, being sandwiched between a host of swimmers. At the first turn, the lead Australian made a poor turn, leading the five lead swimmers astray. By the time the first group recovered, Keefe and McLarty were near the front.

"I did not enjoy the first half of the race," said Keefe, who was constantly being battered about by her competitors and finished with a slight cut below her eye where another swimmer kicked her around the first buoy.

Throughout the second lap, Keefe and McLarty stayed toward the front and constantly pushed the pace. Both swimmers were ideally positioned around the turn buoys that ended the first half of the race.

"I was getting killed on the buoys and I was leading just so I could get away from the other swimmers," said Keefe, who took control of the race on the third lap. "I am a pool swimmer, competing in my first World Championships and although I was prepared with all the speed work we do in training, I was worried about how physical the race would be. I do have a black eye, so I now think I know what to expect for the next time."

Keefe opened up a good body length lead throughout the third lap, with McLarty fluctuating between second and third.

"When Margy went by me and picked up the pace, I knew she was turning the race into her own race," said McLarty, who is a current member of the U.S. National Triathlon Team.

Ilchenko, the top Russian swimmer, tucked in behind Keefe from the 2.5K mark to the 4K mark, drafting as best she could as the defending world 5K champion.

At the 4.5K mark, Ilchenko pulled even with Keefe and then slightly ahead. Keefe chased her, but they maintained their positions around the final turn buoys with Ilchenko winning in 55:40.1, and Keefe winning the silver medal in 55:44.3 to the delight of her teammates, college coach Bartsch, parents and brother, who were in attendance.

"I would classify her swim as relentless," said Sid Cassidy, a Team USA coach. "She took some hard blows, including a black eye when she actually stopped completely at the 1,400-meter mark. But she came back to lead much of the second loop (2 X 2500 loops) and despite being passed by a two-time world champ, continued to pull away from the field. Margy was awesome on a day that put the world on notice that USA Open Water is back."

Keefe, who finished 15th in the 800 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships this past spring, has earned four honorable mention all-America honors in her first two years as a Nittany Lion. She is a member of one of the best women's distance programs in the NCAA, as she was one of six Penn State swimmers to qualify for this past year's 1,650 freestyle at the NCAA Championships.