William Davis Lee ’98
The Daily News
William Davis Lee ’98 and Courtney Moates Paulk ’92 had their eyes on the same prize – the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. The “grand slam” of distance swimming, the Crown requires navigation of 21 miles of the English Channel, 21 miles of the Catalina Channel off California, and 28.5 miles around Manhattan Island.
In June, Lee became the 50th person to finish all three; he circumnavigated Manhattan Island in less than 8 1/2 hours.
Paulk, who twice swam the New York leg of the challenge, is one event closer to her goal; she conquered the English Channel in in August in just more than 14 hours. She hopes to swim the Catalina Channel next year.
Triple Crown swimmers endure unpredictable currents, plummeting water temperatures, and periodic feedings; they dodge large ships, aquatic life, and litter. Paulk, an attorney with Hirschler Fleischer in Richmond, said she experienced a “power puke” after entering the Harlem River near Manhattan in June.
Jellyfish pelted Lee, a nuclear physicist for Axcelis Technologies in Beverly, Mass., during his Catalina swim last July.
The MIT-trained doctor of nuclear science and engineering had long dreamed of swimming the English Channel. He played water polo in high school and, for a while, at Mary Washington.
Courtney Moates Paulk ’92
Photo by Matt Paulk
Paulk started swimming at age 3 and fell in love with the open water in high school. She studied theatre at Mary Washington and earned a law degree from the University of Richmond.
The aquatic alumni still share a future goal − conquering the Strait of Gibraltar, a 9-mile stretch of treacherous traffic and currents.