Jon Urbanchek Invitational
- June 20-22, 2025
- Janet Evans Sports Complex- Fullerton, CA
- LCM (50 Meters)
- Results Available on Meet Mobile
The 3rd annual Jon Urbanchek Invitational meet begins tomorrow. Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team (FAST) will be hosting the meet at the Janet Evans Swim Complex in Fullerton.
The prelims/finals meet has a unique format where prelims are swum in the evenings starting at 4pm and finals swim the following morning at 9am.
There will be cash prizes awarded to the top three finishers in each event. In Jon Urbanchek’s signature event, the 400 freestyle, the award amounts will be doubled. There will also be a Performance Award given to the male and female athletes with the highest World Aquatics point values in finals swims.
There are a few big names scheduled to attend, including Santo Condorelli. Condorelli recently qualified to represent the United States at the 2025 World Championships with his 2nd place finish in the 50 free. The U.S. will be the 3rd country he represents at a major international meet.
South-African Olympian Calvyn Justus is also scheduled to attend, after making his comeback to international competition at last month’s Speedo Grand Challenge. Before that meet, he hadn’t swam a meet since 2020.
There are also a number of other athletes that competed in the U.S. Nationals last month, including Andrew Huston, Ian Pickles, Arthur Balva, Andrew Maksymowski, Alyssa Ton, and Allison Mann.
The meet is a memorial for the late Coach Urbanchek who died last May. Urbanchek started his coaching career in Southern California at Garden Grove High School and he worked there and at other schools in the area until 1978. In 1964, he co-founded the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team (FAST) in Fullerton.
In 1978, he became the head coach at Long Beach State, where he stayed until 1982 when he moved to the University of Michigan, where he led the team to 13 Big 10 Championships before retiring.
Ultimately, Urbanchek returned to Southern California in 2010, where he coached at the Post-Graduate Training Center at FAST. After the 2012 Olympics, he traveled around the country coaching but he spent the most time throughout Southern California volunteering on pool decks in the area.
With all due respect, he did not begin his coaching career in California. It began in Ann Arbor while he was finishing college at the AASC coaching swimming and water polo. In fact, he coached his women’s water polo teams to AAU national championships.
True! And then Jon drove his Austin Healy convertible cross country to start his new coaching job in California. LEGEND
and won a national title.
What is the rationale for the afternoon prelims / morning finals format?
Different format. Teaches swimmers to be ready to race in the morning. Several federations use this. 2008 Olympics were morning finals. Team that come, love it. Outside of the way of doing things.
It also trains your body to swim fast in the morning. Too many people have difficulty making it out of prelims because they’re not physically or mentally fully awake.
Great Idea to honor this Giant of a man and coach! Good Job FAST!
God Bless the Red, White, (Pink), and Blue 🇺🇸
Keep it movin buddy.