A rising senior on Marshall's swim team, Katie Kramer, is believed to be the youngest American female to complete the swim across the Strait of Gibraltar, from Spain to Morocco on Sunday.
"I ended up swimming with another guy from Moldova," Kramer said. "He had been waiting since April 28, but today [Sunday] was the first day that the weather conditions were OK. I only had to wait one day."
The swim began May 11 at 8:30 a.m., and is 8.9 miles long. It took place in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The Naples, Fla. native finished the trek in exactly four hours and 28 minutes.
"I had to change course a couple of times because of the cargo ships," Kramer said. "They're so monstrous."
Throughout the swim, Kramer was supported and escorted by a boat from the Gibraltar Strait Swimming Association. The soon-to-be veteran of the Marshall swimming and diving program proudly wore her Marshall swim cap for the quest.
"The water was beautiful," Kramer said. "It's about 1 kilometer deep in the middle and visible pretty far down. I saw lots of fish, crabs. Then on the African side, some jellyfish, but didn't get stung."
Kramer became the 426th person to successfully complete the crossing since Mercedes Gleitze of the United Kingdom became the first ever in 1928.
She swam to help raise money for the Greater Naples YMCA. According to a Daily News report, she had raised about $4,000 for the swim.
"The whole experience was pretty dang cool," Kramer concluded.
