USA Swimming has announced its National Junior Team for the 2018-2019 season, made up of 35 girls and 32 boys. Shaine Casas, Carson Foster, Kensey McMahon and Claire Tuggle are the only four-event National Junior Teamers.
The team is selected based on the top long course meters times swum in the calendar year 2018, with up to 40 swimmers selected in each gender based on world ranks. Athletes who make the senior National Team aren’t eligible for the National Junior Team. You can see full selection procedures here.
Here’s USA Swimming’s press release:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following world-class performances in 2018, 67 up-and-coming swimmers were named today to the 2018-19 USA Swimming National Junior Team.
“This group of National Junior Team honorees, plus the 21 high schoolers who qualified for the 2018-19 National Team, is a testament to the incredible dedication and work being done at the club level around the United States,” USA Swimming National Junior Team Director Mitch Dalton said. “With two years to go until the 2020 Olympic Games, USA Swimming and its supporters can be very excited about the depth and talent within the junior ranks.”
The complete National Junior Team roster can be found online at usaswimming.org. National Junior Team members must be age 18 or under on Sept. 1, 2018.
Four swimmers qualified for National Junior Team status in a team-best four events: Shaine Casas (Mission, Texas/Aggie Swim Club), Carson Foster (Montgomery, Ohio/Mason Manta Rays), Kensey McMahon (Jacksonville, Fla./Bolles School Sharks) and Claire Tuggle (Fresno, Calif./Clovis Swim Club). Eight athletes earned a roster spot in three-plus events.
2018-19 National Junior Team by the Numbers:
- 67 swimmers named to the National Junior Team (35 women; 32 men)
- 25 states represented; Texas tops the list with 10 selections
- 52 USA Swimming clubs represented, including 10 clubs with multiple honorees
- 2 sets of siblings named to the National Junior Team: Carson and Jake Foster and Lillian and Lucie Nordmann
Many of the roster selections played a key role in Team USA winning a meet-best 54 medals at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships last month.
Selection procedures for the 2018-19 National Junior Team are available online at usaswimming.org. Open water National Junior Team members qualified based on the results of the 2018 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships.
You can check out the full National Junior Team roster here, or below:
Highest world ranking on the entire team was Berkoff in 23rd in the 100 back. But she went 59.59 in a swimoff which places her 14th.
Of the girls, yes. Carson Foster’s legendary 4IM was 20th.
Great accomplishment for Berkoff, and by no means is this meant to take away from her fantastic swimming, but the higher world ranking 18 & unders made the National Team.
Berkoff will get there too.