Junior Pan Pacs: A 10 Year Lookback

The 2014 Junior Pan Pacs were in Kihei, Hawaii, and the American junior team had a dominant showing in the medal count, consistent with what we’ve always seen from them at the event. The United States won 28 out of the possible 36 gold medals, with the men’s team sweeping all the events except for the 200 breaststroke. 

Ten years have passed since the championships in Hawaii, and we’re in the thick of the 2024 Canberra Junior Pan Pacific championships. The United States is continuing to showcase its impressive depth amongst the younger generation in the pool; at the time I’m writing this article (conclusion of day two), the USA holds 11 gold medals (out of the total 17). 

This year’s American Junior Pan Pac roster was decided at the Olympic Trials in June, where the fastest swimmers aged 14-18 by the end of the calendar year who did not make the Olympic team had the opportunity to compete for the United States in Canberra. 38 swimmers were named to the team this year. 

Seeing America’s dominance at the junior level raises a few questions. Does their success at the major junior international events translate well to senior success later down the line? If so, who from a previous junior team has continued their success on senior-level international teams?

JUNIOR PAN PAC ALUMNI

Looking at previous USA Swimming’s Junior Pan Pacs Rosters– dating back to 2014– and comparing them with the biggest international long course meets (Olympics, World Championships, Pan American Champs, and Pan Pacific Champs), there are many names that stand out. The following swimmers have all established themselves well on the senior scale competing for the United States, and they made their international starts on a Junior Pan Pac team in the past ten years. Their list of international teams since their Junior Pan Pac debuts are under their names as well. 

Lilly King (2014):

• King made the 2014 team swimming her signature event, the 100 breaststroke. She took home two gold medals from the championships in Kihei, winning the 100 breast and swimming the second leg on the 400 medley relay. Since then, she’s made four long course world championship teams, three Olympic teams, one Pan Am team and one Senior Pan Pac team. King owns 22 long course world championships medals across these nine games, 10 of which are gold. 
• 2016/2021/2024 Olympics, 2017/2019/2022/2023 LC Worlds, 2023 Pan Ams, 2018 Pan Pacs

Blake Pieroni (2014):

• Blake Pieroni has been a freestyle fixture on many American relays for quite some time now, and, like King, he also made his start on the 2014 Junior Pan Pacs team. He swam the 100 and 200 freestyle, earning a silver medal in both, and was an integral member of the 4×100 and 4×200 freestyle relays. Since his time on the junior national team, Pieroni has continued to insert himself into a freestyle relay, doing so at six more international meets. He holds 11 long course international medals, including eight golds.
• 2016/2021/2024 Olympics, 2017/2019 LC Worlds, 2018 Pan Pacs

Bobby Finke (2016):

• Bobby Finke, the man who very recently broke Sun Yang’s long standing world-record in the 1500 freestyle, made his international debut swimming the same event in Maui in 2016. Finke set the JPP championship records in both the 800 and the 1500 that year, winning the 1500 by over 15 seconds. In the time since his 2016 junior debut, he’s been a fixture of American distance, swimming on six major international teams since then. The world record holder owns eight international medals, including three Olympic golds.
• 2021/2024 Olympics, 2017/2022/2023 LC Worlds, 2018 Pan Pacs

Alex Walsh (2016/2018)

• Alex Walsh had the special opportunity to not only compete on two Junior Pan Pac teams, but she got to do so in 2018 with her sister Gretchen. Alex swam the 200 IM both years, and in 2018, she took home a gold medal in the 400 freestyle relay, swimming with– and splitting the exact same time of 54.92 as– her younger sister. She’s taken home many accolades in the 200 IM, including a gold medal in the 2019 Pan Ams, gold in the 2022 Worlds in Budapest, and a silver medal at the 2021 Olympics.
• 2021/2024 Olympics, 2022/2023 LC Worlds, 2019 Pan Ams

Drew Kibler (2016/2018)

• Drew Kibler has appeared on the exact same slate of international teams the Alex Walsh has, from to their concurrent debuts on the 2016 Junior Pan Pacs Team, to the Budapest World Championships, and most recently their appearance on the Paris Olympic team. Kibler has been a 100/200 freestyle addition to many international teams, and he started out swimming his ace events in Maui in 2016. He really found his stride in 2018, bringing home five gold medals from Fiji. He made his first international senior team in 2019 with the Pan American games, and two years later swam at his first Olympics. He split a 1:45.12 for the Americans in Paris to help them to second place, and took home his first Olympic medal in the process. 
• 2021/2024 Olympics, 2022/2023 LC Worlds, 2019 Pan Ams

Alex Shackell, Erin Gemmell, and Thomas Heilman (2022):

• Before the young phenoms all made their first international team in 2023, Alex Shackell, Erin Gemmell, and Thomas Heilman all swam for the stars and stripes in the 2022 Junior Pan Pacs in Honolulu. The trio has kept their international meet schedule virtually the same, as they all booked a trip to Paris in June and each returned with at least one medal. 
• 2024 Olympics, 2023 LC Worlds

Other Olympians that have competed on a Junior Pan Pacific team (since 2014):

Paris 2024

• Charlie Swanson, Carson Foster, Katharine Berkoff, Mariah Denigan, Gretchen Walsh, Luca Urlando, Emma Weyant, Phoebe Bacon, Aaron Shackell, Keaton Jones

Tokyo 2021

• Townley Haas, Michael Andrew, Andrew Seliskar, Brooke Forde, Erica Sullivan, Phoebe Bacon, Emma Weyant

Rio 2016

• Townley Haas

Of the 159 swimmers who have been named to Junior Pan Pacs teams since 2014, 49 have been featured on an  American international long course team. Of all these swimmers, many are still competing at high levels today, with a good number still competing in the NCAA and a few more training with pro groups. With this knowledge, it’s possible we see around a third of the swimmers on the current JPP team make at least one senior championship team during their careers.

HOW THE US STAYS DOMINANT

Because the United States has won over half of the gold medals at each of these past few championships, many are unsure if the junior success a good measure of a country’s future. Having the biggest pool of talent to choose from in the entire world, the Americans have always stood at a distinct advantage for international junior meets. 

If the priority meet for countries like Australia and Canada was Junior Pan Pacs instead of the Olympics or a World Championship meet, the tables would likely look different. For example, Summer McIntosh, as a swimmer who will still be 18 by December 31st, would have technically been eligible for Junior Pan Pacs this year, had she not competed at the Olympics. But because she’s fast enough, she’s competing at the senior level, and Canada’s junior depth (while still impressive) just doesn’t have the sheer numbers advantage that the United States does. The United States just has that extra “oomph” with the next tier of swimmers that other countries don’t quite have.

Australia had six members of their 2022 Junior Pan Pacs team either age out and make the 2024 Olympic team (Flynn Southam, William Petric, Iona Anderson, Jamie Perkins) or make the Olympic team while still eligible (Jaclyn Barclay, Iona Anderson). Each swimmer, aside from Barclay, earned at least one individual medal at the 2022 championship in Honolulu. Losing Flynn Southam really hurts their junior medal prospects, as he placed first in the 50/100/200 freestyles, and helped Australia to a win in the 800 freestyle relay.

This year, Australia only took home four gold medals, three individuals (Joshua Conias and Milla Jansen in the 50 freestyles, and Inez Miller in the 200 freestyle) and one relay (men’s 4×100 freestyle relay), compared to their eight golds from 2022. For reference, the United States won 20 total golds at the 2024 competition.

The charter nations (Japan, USA, Australia, and Canada) have all agreed to only send swimmers to this meet who haven’t competed at Worlds, the Olympics, or the senior version of Pan Pacs.

2024 OLYMPIC COMPARISON

Even on the Olympic level, the United States juniors outrank most high-performing countries. Just comparing the United States to Canada and Australia for the following scenario, it’s evident that the depth of the youngest United States stars is still second to none. The following swimmers (who will still be 18 or younger by December 31) competed for their nations at the Olympics:

Australia

• Jaclyn Barclay (17th- 200 Back)
• Olivia Wunsch (400 Free Relay)

Canada

• Julie Brousseau (800 Free Relay)
• Summer McIntosh (Gold- 200 Fly, 200 IM, 400 IM, 400/800 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay)

United States

• Claire Weinstein (8th- 200 Free, 800 Free Relay)
• Thomas Heilman (10th- 200 Fly, 17th- 100 Fly, 400 Medley Relay)
• Alex Shackell (6th- 200 Fly, 400 Medley Relay, 800 Free Relay)
• Luke Whitlock (15th- 800 Free)
• Katie Grimes (Silver- 400 IM, 10th- 1500 Free)

The United States continually exhibits its junior depth, even in the senior-level meets. It’s a testament to the country’s youth and developmental programs that five of the fastest Americans under the age of 18 are all absent from the Junior Pan Pacs roster, and the country is still continuing to stay ultra-competitive in Canberra.