Northwestern’s Jasmine Nocentini Goes After SC Worlds Qualifying in Canada

The Northwestern Wildcats are on an off-week preparing for their mid-season rest meet the Purdue Invitational next week, but one of the newest members of the team jumped across the border to attempt to earn a spot at the Short Course World Championships.

Jasmine Nocentini, a junior transfer from FIU, raced at a local age group Fall Invitational meet in Calgary this weekend. That short course meters meet was primarily for local age group and high school swimmers from the University of Calgary Swim Club and a handful of other local clubs (including hosts NCSA), but Nocentini had a more specific purpose in time.

Nocentini swam 29.78 in the 50 breaststroke, 59.55 in the 100 IM, and 24.27 in the 50 free. The times in all three races were FINA “A” standards.

Nocentini used to compete for Panama, but now represents the Italian team – the country where she was born.

She tells SwimSwam that she is “pending approval” for the time. Italy required a cut of 29.79 in the 50 breaststroke, but only listed this weekend’s National Championship meet as a qualifying event.

“Since only a few athletes are qualified,” Nocentini said, “Italy often takes into consideration people close to the cut or fast times outside of the meet, so I hope my time will be considered!”

Italy might not be the only hurdle for Nocentini to get to Worlds, however. FINA no longer publishes lists of approved World Championship qualifying meets on its website, and so far has been unable to share that list with SwimSwam. Normally, a meet of this stature would not be an approved World Championship qualifying event, and the organization only accepted applications for qualifying events through September 30, 2022.

Nocentini says that she has been told that the meet is FINA approved.

Nocentini does have an “A” cut, though, in long course: her 31.18 from Italy’s National Championship meet in July is under the long course “A” standard, which is set as the qualifying time for the summer’s long course World Championships (31.22). While it is not guaranteed that this meet was an approved championship qualifier, national championship meets usually are.

Now she will wait to hear back officially from the Italian federation about an invite.

At the Italian National Championships, Benedetta Pilato, the World Record holder in long course, won in 29.71. Martina Carraro was 2nd in 29.98, Arianna Castiglioni was 3rd in 30.17, and Lisa Angiolini was 4th in 30.23. The Italian women make up one of the deepest sprint breaststroke groups in the world.

Nocentini raced her first two seasons at Florida International before transferring to Northwestern fall 2021. Most of her collegiate success so far has been in sprint freestyle events. She was the 50, 100, and 200 free champion at the 2020 Conference USA Championships, and in 2021 won the 100 and 200 free after DQ’ing the 50 free final. Those times earned her an invite to the 2021 NCAA Championships in 2021.

In her first season with Northwestern last year, she was 3rd in the 50 free, 4th in the 200 free, and 5th in the 100 free at the Big Ten Championships.

This year, she leads the Big Ten in the 50 free, is tied for 1st in the 100 free, and leads the conference in the 100 breast. She has raced the 100 breast at both of her dual meets for the Wildcats this season, the first time she’s swum that race in college.

Nocentini’s Best Times: