79 Athletes Named by USA Swimming to 2021-22 National Junior Team

USA Swimming announced on Monday the names of 79 athletes who have been selected to the 2021-22 U.S. National Junior Team.

• Women’s Roster
• Men’s Roster
• Media Roster
• Selection Criteria
  • Pool Swimming
  • Open Water Swimming

The 72 pool swimmers and 7 open water swimmers named to the 2021-22 National Junior Team come from 26 states and 61 clubs. With four athletes apiece, Nation’s Capital Swim Club and TAC Titans put the most swimmers on the team. Sandpipers of Nevada and SwimMAC Carolina each had three selections. North Carolina is the highest-represented state with 10 athletes, followed by California with eight.

Pool Swimming

To be eligible for selection, athletes had to be 18 years or younger and eligible to represent the U.S. in international competition on September 1, 2021. In addition, they had to meet performance criteria. For pool swimming events, selections were made in a similar fashion to the last several years. Times had to be in long course meters and could be from any USA Swimming or FINA approved competition from January 1, 2021-August 31, 2021.

1. The two athletes with the highest World Ranking in each individual Olympic event (up to 28 women and 28 men); and
2. The eligible athletes with the third (3rd) and fourth (4th) highest World Ranking in the 100- and 200-meter long course freestyle (up to 4 women and 4 men); and
3. Additional athletes who have achieved a long course meter time faster or equal to the time standards listed below. The girls had to achieve a top-75 World Ranking; the boys, a top-100 World Ranking.

Justina Kozan led the team with four events (200 free; 200 fly; 200/400 IM). Five more athletes qualified in three events: Baylor Nelson (200 free; 200/400 IM) and Summer Smith (1500 free; 200 back; 400 IM), Erin Gemmell (100/200/400 free), Cavan Gormsen (400/800/1500 free), and Teagan O’Dell (100/200 back; 200 IM).

25 of the athletes selected competed at the Berlin and Budapest legs of the FINA Swimming World Cup earlier this month, including gold medal-winners Zhier Fan, Gormsen, Quintin McCarty, and Carly Novelline. Nearly all of the pool swimmers made Wave II of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha last summer, including Josh Matheny, who placed fifth in the 100 breast. All in all, 34 athletes named to this year’s National Junior Team posted top-20 finishes at Wave II.

As has been standard in recent years, athletes will not be eligible for the National Junior Team if they have competed individually at the Olympics, Pan Pacs, or World Championships. Athletes will also be considered regardless of year in high school or college, provided they are 18 years old or younger on September 1st.

Open Water Swimming

Note: the full 2021-2022 Open Water National Junior Team will be announced by November 1, 2021. The selection criteria are as follows:

1. The top two (2) finishing men and the top two (2) finishing women from the 2021 USA Swimming 10K Open Water Nationals (held in Fort Myers, Florida on April 16, 2021).
2. The best available male and the best available female finishers from the 2021 10K Open Water Invitational (held in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 8, 2021
3. The first-place male and the first-place female finishers from the 2021 USA Swimming 7.5K Junior National Championships (held in Fort Myers, Florida on April 18, 2021).
4. Any male and female individual-event medalist from the 2021 FINA Open Water World Junior Championships.

The minimum team size will be four (4) men and four (4) women, and the maximum team size can be seven (7) men and seven (7) women.

2021-2022 National Junior Team Roster: Women

2021-2022 National Junior Team Roster: Men