2025 World Junior Swimming Championships
- August 19-24, 2025
- Otopeni, Romania
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
USA Swimming announced its roster for the 2025 World Junior Swimming Championships on Wednesday, with 19 girls and 26 boys earning a spot on the American team that will compete in Otopeni, Romania, later this summer.
The roster is headlined by the star female trio of Charlotte Crush, Audrey Derivaux and Rylee Erisman, who all qualified to swim five individual events at the championships.
On the boys’ side, three swimmers qualified in three individual events: Aiden Hammer, Gavin Keogh and Gabe Nunziata.
GIRLS’ ROSTER (19)
| Name | Events | Age | Hometown | Club |
| Mena Boardman | 50 FL | 17 | Portland, Ore. |
Commonwealth Swimming
|
| Liberty Clark | 4×100 FR-R, 4×200 FR-R | 17 | Chico, Calif. |
Pleasanton Seahawks
|
| Daisy Collins | 1500 FR | 16 | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
North Carolina Aquatic Club
|
| Charlotte Crush | 50/100/200 BK, 50/100 FL | 17 | Louisville, Ky. |
Lakeside Swim Team
|
| Audrey Derivaux | 200 BK, 100/200 FL, 200/400 IM | 16 | Haddonfield, N.J. | Jersey Wahoos |
| Kennedi Dobson | 200/400/800 FR | 18 | Levittown, Pa. |
Eastern Express Swim Team
|
| Rylee Erisman | 50/100/200 FR, 50/100 BK | 16 | Windermere, Fla. | Laker Swim |
| Kayda Geyer | 100/200 BR | 17 | Waxhaw, N.C. |
Mecklenburg Swim Association
|
| Kayla Han | 800 FR, 400 IM, 4×200 FR-R | 17 | La Mirada, Calif. |
La Mirada Armada
|
| Brinkleigh Hansen | 400 FR | 15 | Saint Petersburg, Fla. |
Saint Petersburg Aquatics
|
| Chloe Kim | 1500 FR | 18 | Glen Rock, N.J. | Scarlet Aquatics |
| Lily King | 100 FR | 18 | Latrobe, Pa. |
Mount Pleasant Aqua Club
|
| Rachel McAlpin | 50 BR | 17 | Brandon, Miss. |
Mississippi Makos Swim Team
|
| Julie Mishler | 4×100 FR-R | 18 | Milford, Ind. |
Fishers Area Swimming Tigers
|
| Annam Olasewere | 50 FR, 4×100 FR-R | 18 | Westport, Conn. |
Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club
|
| Elle Scott | 50/100 BR | 18 | Charlotte, N.C. |
SwimMAC Carolina
|
| Kaidy Stout | 200 BR | 16 | Lewisville, N.C. | Swim GSA |
| Molly Sweeney | 200 IM | 17 | Carmel, Ind. |
Carmel Swim Club
|
| Kelsey Zhang | 200 FL | 17 | Saratoga, Calif. |
Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics
|
BOYS’ ROSTER (26)
| Name | Events | Age | Hometown | Club |
| William Allen | 4×200 FR-R | 16 | Carmel, Ind. |
Carmel Swim Club
|
| Kenneth Barnicle | 50 BK, 4×100 FR-R | 18 | Mendham, N.J. |
Greater Somerset County YMCA
|
| Noah Cakir | 200 FL, 200 IM | 18 | Deer Park, N.Y. | Team Suffolk |
| Ian Call | 50 BR | 16 | Collierville, Tenn. |
Memphis Thunder Aquatic Club
|
| Brayden Capen | 400 IM | 17 | Lisle, Ill. |
Academy Bullets Swim Club
|
| Austin Carpenter | 100 FR | 17 | Dublin, Ohio |
Central Ohio Aquatics
|
| Norvin Clontz | 200/400 FR | 18 | Charlotte, N.C. |
Mecklenburg Swim Association
|
| Rowan Cox | 50/100 FL, 4×100 FR-R | 17 | Austin, Texas |
Longhorn Aquatics
|
| Shareef Elaydi | 200 FL | 16 | Santa Clara, Calif. |
Santa Clara Swim Club
|
| Andrew Eubanks | 100/200 BR | 17 | Portland, Ore. |
The Dolphins Portland Swimming
|
| Aiden Hammer | 400/800/1500 FR | 17 | Fox Island, Wash. |
King Aquatic Club
|
| Collin Holgerson | 100 BK | 17 | Chattanooga, Tenn. | SwimAtlanta |
| Gavin Keogh | 50/100/200 BK | 17 | Erie, Colo. |
Flatiron Athletic Club
|
| Yury Kuzmenko | 50 FR | 16 | San Jose, Calif. | Valley Splash |
| Gabriel Manteufel | 4×200 FR-R | 17 | Las Vegas, Nev. |
Sandpipers Of Nevada
|
| Thomas McMillan | 100 FL | 16 | Saint Charles, Ill. |
St Charles Swim Team
|
| David Melnychuk | 200 BK | 18 | Nokomis, Fla. |
Sarasota Sharks
|
| Will Mulgrew | 800/1500 FR | 18 | Walpole, Mass. |
Shawmut Aquatic Club
|
| Gabe Nunziata | 50/100/200 BR | 18 | Suffolk, Va. |
Old Dominion Aquatic Club
|
| Mike Rice | 100 FR | 17 | Waxhaw, N.C. |
Mecklenburg Swim Association
|
| Albert Smelzer | 50 FR | 18 | Greensboro, N.C. | Swim GSA |
| Baylor Stanton | 200 IM | 18 | Lawrenceville, Ga. |
Gwinnett Aquatics
|
| Luke Vatev | 4×100 FR-R | 16 | Clarendon Hills, Ill. |
Hornet Age Group Swim Club
|
| Evan Witte | 50 FL | 18 | Haslet, Texas |
Minnetonka Swim Club
|
| Tim Wu | 200 FR | 17 | San Ramon, Calif. |
Pleasanton Seahawks
|
| Yi Zheng | 400 IM | 16 | Carmel, Ind. |
Carmel Swim Club
|
Carmel Swim Club and Mecklenburg Swim Association led all teams with three swimmers qualifying: William Allen, Yi Zheng and Molly Sweeney for Carmel, and Kayda Geyer, Norvin Clontz and Mike Rice for Mecklenburg.
The Pleasanton Seahawks (Tim Wu, Liberty Clark) and Swim GSA (Albert Smelzer, Kaidy Stout) had two swimmers qualify apiece.
The roster was determined based on results at the 2025 U.S. National Championships, which wrapped up earlier this month in Indianapolis.
Notably missing from the roster is Madi Mintenko, who was projected to qualify after Nationals.
The qualifying criteria were relatively the same as it is for the senior team heading to the World Championships, just for junior-aged swimmers (18 and under as of December 31, 2025), and of course, any junior swimmer who made the Worlds team (in pool swimming) was ineligible to be named.
The juniors who made the World Championship roster were Claire Weinstein, Thomas Heilman and Luka Mijatovic, while Brinkleigh Hansen qualified for Singapore in open water, but was also named to the junior team in the 400 free.
U.S. Qualifying Criteria For World Junior Team:
- Priority #1: Includes the four best-finishing available swimmers from the finals of the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle events, and the best-finishing available swimmer in all other Olympic events
- Priority #2: Includes the second-best finishing available swimmer from finals of all individual Olympic events, except the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle
- Priority #3: Includes the best finishing available swimmer from the finals of the 50-meter breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly
- Priority #4: Includes the fifth-best finishing available swimmer from the finals in the 100-meter freestyle.
In May, USA Swimming named Abi Liu (Bellevue Club Swim Team) and Peter Verhoef (Bolles School Sharks) as the head coaches for the American team in Otopeni.
The staff will also include Chuck Batchelor (SwimMAC Carolina), Steve Bialorucki (Old Dominion Aquatic Club), Paul Donovan (Jersey Wahoos), Kyle Goller (Laker Swim), Mary Korey (Greater Somerset County YMCA Storm), Sean Quinn (Mecklenburg Swim Association) as assistants.
The 2025 World Junior Swimming Championships will run from August 19-24, 2025, in Otopeni, Romania.
The girls side will probably be dominant. I wouldn’t want to face Crush, Derivaux or Erisman at this event.
I wonder if more than 50 people will watch this meet.
I’ll take the over if you’re willing to bet. Literally any amount under $2M.
VALLEY SPLASH REPPING ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE
Only one swimmer appearing to have declined their spot, that being the aforementioned Madi Mintenko. Gives Lily King an individual 100 free slot, Kennedi Dobson the 200 free individual, and adds Brinkleigh Hansen to the junior team in the 400 free individually, along with her open water senior worlds spot. All the other 18 women and all 26 men were expected to qualify following Nationals. That’s a really high rate of acceptances, normally there’s a few other swimmers that decline their spots.
I think Mintenko is already practicing at UVA
Maybe Madi Mintenko felt the 2024 Junior Pan Pacs was enough international junior experience.