The US Paralympic Committee announced the 48-swimmer 2019 U.S. National Team Wednesday, featuring 35 women and 13 men.
The roster includes 21 Olympians who have racked up 62 Paralympic medals in all.
“With the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 right around the corner, this will be a very important season for Team USA,” said Queenie Nichols, director of U.S. Paralympics Swimming, in a press release. “The 48 athletes named to the national team have all worked very hard to make it this far, but there is plenty of work to be done as we gear up for Tokyo.”
The team has four subdivisions: the Elite A Team, A Team, B Team, and C Team. Qualification for each team is based off 2018 times, per the US Paralympics Swimming 2019 Athlete and Sport Program Plan:
- Athletes who meet a National A Standard(s) at a World Para Swimming recognized event and have a first-place ranking for their sport class, will be nominated to the National Elite A Team for Term #1. Standards must be met in 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games events. First place rankings will be used from January 1, 2018 through the 1st day of the month following the date the athlete obtains the National A Standard. (This could be subject to the uploading of the results and world rankings by World Para Swimming).
- Athletes who meet a National A Standard(s) (using the 2019 National Standards) at a World Para Swimming recognized event will be nominated to the 2019 National A Team for Term #1.
- Athletes who meet a National B standard(s) (using the 2019 National Standards) at a World Para Swimming recognized event will be nominated to the 2019 National B Team for Term #1.
- Athletes who meet a National C standard(s) (using the 2019 National Standards) at a World Para Swimming recognized event will be nominated to the 2019 National C Team for Term #1.
Headlining the Elite A Team this year are 23-time Paralympic medalist Jessica Long and reigning 100 back world champion Robert Griswold, the only male swimmer named to the Elite Team. Rounding out the Elite Team is two-time Paralympian McKenzie Coan, 2017 Worlds medalist Julia Gaffney, two-time Paralympian Becca Myers, and 2017 Worlds finalist Leanne Smith.
Swimmers named to each subdivision may be entitled to various benefits, including funding, health insurance, air or ground transportation, lodging, and meals, as well as access to the USOC Athlete Career & Education Program.
See the full roster below (* denotes US Paralympian).
2019 US Para Swimming National Team
| National Team | Hometown | Classification |
| Elite A Team | ||
| *McKenzie Coan | Clarkesville, Ga. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| Julia Gaffney | Mayflower, Ark. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| *Robert Griswold | Freehold, N.J. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| *Jessica Long | Baltimore, Md. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| *Becca Meyers | Timonium, Md. | S12/SB12/SM12 |
| Leanne Smith | Salem, Mass. | S3/SB3/SM3 |
| A Team | ||
| *Evan Austin | Terre Haute, Ind. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| Ahalya Lettenberger | Glen Ellyn, Ill. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| Makayla Nietzel | Crystal Lake, Ill. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| Gia Pergolini | Roswell, Ga. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| *Martha Ruether | Allegany, N.Y. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| *Colleen Young | St. Louis, Mo. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| B Team | ||
| *Hannah Aspden | Raleigh, N.C. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| *Cailin Currie | Danvers, Mass. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| *Tharon Drake | Hobbs, N.M. | S11/SB11/SM11 |
| *McClain Hermes | Dacula, Ga. | S11/SB11/SM11 |
| *Sophia Herzog | Fairplay, Colo. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| Mikaela Jenkins | Evansville, Ind. | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| *Cortney Jordan | Henderson, Nev. | S7/SB7/SM7 |
| *Michelle Konkoly | Eagleville, Pa. | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| Lawrence Sapp | Waldorf, Md. | S14/SB14/SM14 |
| *Lizzi Smith | Muncie, Ind. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| C Team | ||
| Hallie Anderson | O’Fallon, Mo. | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| Isabella Blanchard | Ramsey, Minn. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| *Leslie Cichocki | Palos Hills, Ill. | S14/SB14/SM14 |
| Alyssia Crook | Allendale, Mich. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| David Gelfand | Weston, Conn. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| *Alyssa Gialamas | Naperville, Ill. | S5/SB4/SM5 |
| Connor Gioffreda | Timonium, Md. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| Jamal Hill | Inglewood, Calif. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| *Elizabeth Marks | Prescott Valley, Ariz. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| *Letticia Martinez | Las Cruces, N.M. | S11/SB11/SM11 |
| Ross Minor | St. Augustine, Fla. | S11/SB11/SM11 |
| Elise Morley | Norton, Mass. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Anastasia Pagonis | Garden City, N.J. | S12/SB12/SM12 |
| Amanda Palyo | Castle Pines, Colo. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Joseph Peppersack | Hopewell, Va. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| Jonathan Pierce | Torrance, Calif. | S14/SB14/SM14 |
| Carson Sanocki | Charlotte, N.C. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| Summer Schmit | Stillwater, Minn. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Zachary Shattuck | Mt. Airy, Md. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| Aspen Shelton | Willow Park, Texas | S12/SB12/SM12 |
| *Natalie Sims | Minneapolis, Minn. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Liam Smith | Rockford, Mich. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| Morgan Stickney | Bedford, N.H. | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| Samantha Tubbs | King George, Va. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| *Mallory Weggemann | Eagan, Minn. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| MeiMei White | Orlando, Fla. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
2019 Australian Para-swimming team international classifications.
Wow bombshells galore!!!
Firstly, Rowan Bright an S7 swimmer who represented Australia at both the Commonwealth games and the Para Pan Pacific games as just been classed out of S7 Para-swimming for being .8 of a cm too tall. Bright also won nine medals at 2015 World Dwarf Games, Bright suffers from short stature called hypochondroplasia.
Secondly, one of the big news stories, former S14 and then S10 swimmer, Paige Leonhardt, has just been classed out of the S10 category and issued with a Not Eligible notice. Furthermore, Para Swimming Australia are NOT going to appeal the Leonhardt classification decision. Leonhardt represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, the 2017 World Championships, the 2018… Read more »
What do the four different subdivisions mean?
You mean World Championships? A team that hasn’t had trials yet?
A meet for which there is (not as of yet) any official declaration of resolution with logistical concerns presumably still underway?
A meet that has a large impact both on the event schedule in Tokyo and the distribution of NPC team sizes?
That team for that event? Of course not, but you know that already because you can count and you’re interested so you’d have done a minimum of research to see what was published in the way of event teams, selection procedures and (particularly) read the above press release which is obviously a program structure and not a performance event selection given that it doesn’t names anyone to… Read more »