Swimming Australia has named a team of 16 swimmers to compete at next week’s Oceania Swimming Championships at the Gold Coast Aquatics Centre from April 21-24.
The team will feature age groupers who excelled at the recent Australian Age Group Championships last week.
Among the roster is 15-year-old Olympia Pope, whose selection is “just reward for her consistency,” Swimming Australia says. She finished 2nd in the 100 breast at last week’s Australian Age Group Championships in the 15-year-olds group in 1:09.07, behind only fellow phenom Sienna Toohey (who is not on this roster).
Pope then won the 200 breaststroke later in the meet in 2:29.12 ahead of Toohey’s 2:29.52.
Both times for Pope are lifetime bests.
Other young swimmers on the roster include Manly’s Lillie McPherson, who won four gold medals at the Australian Age Championships in the 15 years age bracket. She won the 50 free in 25.73, the 100 in 55.84, the 200 free in 2:00.45, and the 100 fly in 1:00.08.
That 200 free was the biggest lurch forward: her previous best coming into the meet was 2:03.20 from a month earlier at the New South Wales State Open Championships.
The team will be led by Team Head Coach Tracey Menzies-Stegbauer with Gary Barclay as the Team Lead. Nick Veliades (Nunawading, Vic) and Jayden Brian (MLC Aquatic, Vic) have been selected as Team Coaches.
The Oceania Championships have traditionally been held every two years, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been hosted since the 2018 edition in Papua New Guinea. There, among the stars who went on to bigger success were Josh Edwards-Smith from Australia, who won two golds and one silver individually; Carter Swift from New Zealand, who won two golds and one silver individually, and Grace Monahan from Hawaii, who won four gold, one silver, and three bronze individually.
Monahan was 9th in 2024 as a freshman at NC State at the ACC Championships in the 500 free.
Besides Australia, Fiji and New Zealand are expected to send the next-biggest teams to the 2024 meet.
Australian Roster, 2024 Oceanic Championships
| Name | Age | Club |
| Lucas Fackerell | 16 | Breakers WA |
| Jake Tysoe | 16 | Rackley, QLD |
| Jackson Anderson | 16 | Highlanders, WA |
| Charlie Russell | 17 | Ambrose Treacy, QLD |
| Grayson Doig | 16 | Trinity Grammar, NSW |
| Kai Gilbert | 16 | St Peters Western, QLD |
| Samuel Hicks | 15 | Westside Christchurch, WA |
| Thomas Sutherland | 16 | Caulfield, Vic |
| Lillie McPherson | 15 | Manly, NSW |
| Sylvia Czajko | 16 | UWA West Coast, WA |
| Jessica Cole | 17 | Wests Illawarra, NSW |
| Lilla Ribot de Bresac | 14 | Newmarket Racers, QLD |
| Jessica Wilson | 16 | Nunawading, Vic |
| Olympia Pope | 15 | Miami, QLD |
| Isabella Osborn | 16 | MLC Aquatic, Vic |
| Amelie Smith | 15 | Rocky City, QLD |
I thought this was for swimmers who would not be named on the Junior Pan PAC team? Surely Pope would be in that team?
Also Ribot de Bresac is not 24 years old.
Btw, I wish this pool did have the shade structure pictured. Would save a lot of sunburn in the melanoma capital of the world.
No Pope will not be on that team hence being named on this
I don’t think the 200 brst was a selection event, and MacKinder and Toohey would be above Pope for the 100.
Amelie Smith the bigger surprise, she almost certainly will be on the Pan Pacs team as the no. 2 200 IMer I would think.
The JPPs selection criteria provides QTs for the stroke 200s and all Olympic events are priority 1.
You’re right, I got the selection criteria for Oceania Championships and Pan Pacs mixed up.
I guess they’re just letting people do both, perhaps there wasn’t many EOIs for the Oceania team with such a short turn around.
I was surprised to see so many interstate athletes taking up the opportunity so soon after age champs.
Mate it’s a chance to represent your country.
That’s what I thought too re: JPP’s eligible swimmers being in this team.
Under the selection criteria, selection in the Jr PanPacs squad would have precluded swimmers from selection in the Oceania squad. Problem is, Oceania Champs directly followed on from open nationals, not allowing much time to even name a Jr Pan Pacs squad. So I think they relaxed that aspect of the criteria. The decision to relax that part of the criteria could have had something to do with the numbers nominating for Oceania.
I expect some of the Oceania squad will be named in the Jr PanPacs squad soon.
https://www.swimming.org.au/articles/australian-team-named-for-2024-junior-pan-pacs-in-canberra
Team’s up.
SA adjusted the criteria – you can be selected for both JPP and Oceania.
Correct.