After the conclusion of the 2018 Australian Pan Pac Trials, the second part of a two-leg qualifying (after the Commmonwealth Games), Swimming Australia has named a 33-swimmer roster for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. The meet will take place from August 9th-14th in Tokyo, Japan.
The roster includes 17 women and 16 men, with 27 of the 33 athletes coming from Queensland. Queensland has historically dominated Australian swimming, but that trend had been shifting to a more balanced geography, until recently.
Two members of the team, Cate Campbell and Emily Seebohm, are racing in their 3rd championships. Both swimmers are also 5-time Olympic medalists (with 2 golds each).
Almost as significant as who’s included is who isn’t included: names like Cam McEvoy, James Magnussen, Bronte Campbell, and Minna Atherton. McEvoy and Magnussen rank as two of the fastest 5 in the 100 freestyle in history, while Bronte was the 2015 World Champion in the 50 and 100 free. This continues a run of absences from the Campbell sisters at major international meets.
8 of the 33 return from the 2014 team: Jess Ashwood (Chandler, QLD), Maddie Groves (Griffith, QLD), Mack Horton (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC), Mitch Larkin (St Peters Western, QLD), Emma McKeon (Griffith, University, QLD) and Jake Packard (USC Spartans, QLD), plus Campbell and Seebohm. In spite of a lot of new swimmers from the last edition of this meet, there’s only 2 rookies on the team: Maddy Gough in the 1500, and Nic Sloman on the open water team.
The youngest member of the team is 16-year old Kaylee McKeown, who was on last year’s Worlds team. She is one of 11 teenagers on the squad. The oldest member of the team is 2016 Olympian Grant Irvine, at 27-years old. He’s a month older in that category than two-time Olympic relay medalist James Roberts.
Events are not explicitly listed yet for the swimmers; that’s common for Pan Pacs, given the high level of flexibility for swimmers to race events other than which they’ve qualified for, as compared to other major meets (like Commonwealth Games, Worlds, or the Olympics).
17 different clubs are represented on the team, with St. Peters Western, Chandler, and TSS Aquatics each placing 4 members on the squad.
Selections by Home Club
| Team | State | # of Pan Pacs Qualifiers |
| St. Peters Western | Queensland | 4 |
| Chandler | Queensland | 4 |
| TSS Aquatics | Queensland | 4 |
| USC Spartans | Queensland | 3 |
| Griffith University | Queensland | 3 |
| Bond | Queensland | 2 |
| Noosa | Queensland | 2 |
| Southport Olympic | Queensland | 2 |
| Marion | South Australia | 1 |
| Somerset | Queensland | 1 |
| West Brisbane | Queensland | 1 |
| Mingara Aquatic | New South Wales | 1 |
| Kawana Waters | Queensland | 1 |
| Nunawading | Victoria | 1 |
| Brisbane Grammar | Queensland | 1 |
| SOPAC | NSW | 1 |
| UWA West Coast | Western Australia | 1 |
| Melbourne Vicentre | Victoria | 1 |
MEN:
- Jack Cartwright, (St Peters Western, QLD),
- Kyle Chalmers (Marion, SA),
- Alexander Graham (Bond, QLD),
- Mack Horton (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC),
- Grant Irvine (Griffith University, QLD),
- Mitch Larkin (St Peters Western, QLD,
- Clyde Lewis (St Peters Western, QLD),
- Jack McLoughlin (Chandler, QLD),
- David Morgan (TSS Aquatics, QLD),
- Jake Packard (USC Spartans, QLD),
- James Roberts (Somerset, QLD),
- Nic Sloman (Noosa, QLD),
- Zac Stubblety-Cook (West Brisbane, QLD)
- Matthew Wilson (SOPAC, NSW)
- Elijah Winnington (Bond, QLD),
- Bradley Woodward (Mingara Aquatic)
WOMEN:
- Jessica Ashwood (Chandler, QLD),
- Cate Campbell (Chandler, QLD),
- Madeleine Gough (TSS Aquatics, QLD),
- Madeline Groves (Griffith University, QLD),
- Chelsea Gubecka (Kawana Waters, QLD),
- Jessica Hansen (Nunawading, VIC),
- Shayna Jack (Chandler, QLD),
- Kareena Lee (Noosa, QLD),
- Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD),
- Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans, QLD),
- Kiah Melverton (TSS Aquatic), QLD,
- Leiston Pickett (Southport Olympic) QLD,
- Emily Seebohm (Brisbane Grammar, QLD),
- Mikkayla Sheridan (USC Spartans, QLD),
- Laura Taylor (TSS Aquatic, QLD),
- Brianna Throssell (UWA West Coast, WA),
- Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Western, QLD.)
Coaches:
- Jacco Verhaeren (Team Director)
- Rohan Taylor (Coach Mentor)
Team Coaches:
Pool: Peter Bishop (SASI, SA), Michael Bohl (Griffith University, QLD), Dean Boxall (St Peters Western, QLD), Simon Cusack (Brisbane Aquatic Centre-High Performance, QLD), Craig Jackson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC), Adam Kable (SAL NSW High Performance Hub), Chris Mooney (University of Sunshine Coast, QLD), Vince Raleigh Brisbane (Aquatic Centre-High Performance, QLD).
Open Water: Michael Sage (Kawana Waters, QLD), John Rodgers (Noosa, QLD).
Japan and Australia should combine squads to provide a suitable competitor to the US. Also don’t think I’d count Magnussen as a major name anymore. He’s basically their version of Conor Dwyer
Sadly I think both McEvoy and Magnussen are on their way out .. they had their Olympic chances in 2012 and 2016 respectively
Mac & Mag have been on a downward spiral, but could still help bolster AUS relay chances in 19/20 if their strategies (as with Bronte) to concentrate on Tokyo pay off. Hopefully by then though, some new wonder-kids have come along.
When will you guys realize the emphasis for this year for Australians was the Commonwealth Games. Be interesting to see how their 3:12 400 free relay will hold up against Pan Pac and European champions. McEvoy and Magnussen were both on that squad with 48 lead out and 47 flying start respectively. Dont think we’ve heard the last of them yet.
Well if McEvoy did prioritise comm games his times were still rather poor at those games considering he swam almost a 49s lead off leg in that relay team .. so his problems are far more than just prioritising Comm Games and not span Pacs
To be precise 48.63 leadoff and Mag 47.87. Point really is that the Pan Pacs are a secondary competition for most countries outside of the USA. The Commonwealth Games are a priority as are the Asian Games. Pan Pacs because of the US are faster and great competition but they are aquatics only and of no real interest to anyone outside of the pool. The other meets are the biggest events in those countries outside the Olympics. I wish we had something similar here. PanAms and World University Games are good games experience for the up and coming or B swimmers but there is nothing for the elite to practice their games experience.
exactly – always the same excuses to hide the lack of fitness ….
3:12? Okay they will at most fight the Japanese for bronze after us and bra
I’m surprised Blair Evans wasn’t taken on board yet Leiston Pickett’s made it .. I guess they needed a secondary female bredtrokrf for the relay just in case
Matt Wilson swims for Sydney Olympic Park not Southport – can’t swim in the NSWIS team from a QLD club.