Irvine Novaquatics Wins 2018 Jr Nationals Combined Team Title as Hosts

2018 SPEEDO JUNIOR NATIONALS

• Tuesday, July 31 – Saturday, August 4, 2018
• William Woollett Aquatics Center, Irvine, CA
• Prelims 9 AM / Finals 6 PM (U.S. Pacific Time)
• Meet website
• Full Results PDF
• Full High Point Standings
• Full Team Scores

Irvine Novaquatics defended home turf this week at the USA Swimming Junior National Championships by winning the combined team title. They placed 5th at last year’s meet with 243 points, but rocketed to the top of the heap in 2018 with 333.50 points.

Novaquatics picked up a trio of 3rd-place finishes at the meet, but took the overall title without winning a single event.

The teams’ high scorers were 17-year old Isabelle Odgers, who scored 37 points and Owen Kao who scored 36. Odgers had the team’s best individual finish via a runner-up result in the 200 breaststroke in 2:29.44, while Kao placed 4th in the 400 free in 3:55.17.

In the girls’ team standings, another California team, Brea Aquatics, won the title, with Novaquatics taking 2nd. They were ineligible for the combined scoring lead, because their boys didn’t score. North Baltimore, the only team with two girls in the top 10 of the individual high point awards, took 3rd in the girls’ standings.

The Mason Manta Rays, who closed the meet with a National Age Group Record in the 400 medley relay, led the boys’ scoring with 261 points. Jake Foster was the 3rd-highest scoring boy (with 66 points), his younger brother Carson Foster was 7th (with 54 points), and Adam Chaney finished 34th with 24 points.

This is the Manta Rays’ 2nd-straight boys’ title: last year, they scored 327 points to win by 130 points. Mason also finished 2nd overall this year.

Top 5 Team Standings:

Note: teams must score both boys and girls points to rank in the combined team scoring.

Girls’ Top 5:

1. Brea Aquatics – 192 points
2. Irvine Novaquatics – 178 points
3. North Baltimore Aquatic Club – 177 points
4. SwimMAC Carolina – 168 points
5. Nation’s Capital Swim Club – 133 points

Boys’ Top 5:

1. Mason Manta Rays – 261 points
2. Terrapins Swim Team – 230 points
3. SwimAtlanta – 214 points
4. SwimMAC Carolina – 156 points
5. Irvine Novaquatics – 155.5 points

Combined Top 5:

1. Irvine Novaquatics – 333.5 points
2. SwimMAC Carolina – 324 points
3. Mason Manta Rays – 314 points
4. SwimAtlanta – 303 points
5. Terrapins Swim Team – 238 points