Swimmers And Storylines To Watch At the 2024 U.S. Para Swimming Trials

2024 U.S. Para Swimming Trials

• June 27 – 29, 2024
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center — Minneapolis, MN
• 50 meters (LCM)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet (pre-scratch)

Already fighting off post-meet blues from the U.S. Olympic Trials wrapping up this past weekend in Indianapolis? Fear not, because the 2024 U.S. Para Swimming Trials are taking place this June 27 – 29 and will help fill the void.

Over three days at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, MN, swimmers will compete to be selected for Team USA’s Paralympic roster. Swimming at the 2024 Paralympic Games takes place from August 29 – September 7 in La Défense Arena.

But before we starting looking to Paris, here’s some of the swimmers and storylines you should be keeping an eye on this week in Minneapolis.

Para Swimming Classification System Decoded: There are 14 classifications in Para-Swimming. Physical disabilities are classed S1-S10, visual disabilities are classed S11-S13, and athletes with intellectual disabilities compete in class S14. In general, the higher the number of the classification, the less-severe the impairment of the disability upon their performance in the pool. SB classes are specific to breaststroke races while SM classes are specific to individual medley events; athletes often compete in the same classification across events, but many are classified at different levels in breaststroke and IM events.

Swimmers To Watch — Women:

Jessica Long, S8/SB7/SM8 — Entered in 100 free, 400 free, 100 back, 100 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM

Four men and twelve women who medalled in Tokyo are aiming to start their medal defense this weekend by qualifying for another Games. Of the swimmers on the list, the most recognizable is Jessica Long. Now 32, Long has her sights set on competing at her 6th Paralympics.

She’s a 16x gold medallist, earning three of those in Tokyo (100 fly S8, 200 IM SM8, and women’s 4×100 medley relay 34 points) to go with 2 silvers and a bronze.

One of the most decorated athletes in history, Long is showing no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by her busy schedule in Minneapolis this week.

Morgan Stickney, S7/SB7/SM7 — Entered in 100 free, 400 free, 200 IM

The Tokyo Games were Morgan Stickney‘s first international meet and she walked away with two Paralympic golds. In the 400 freestyle S8, she struck gold ahead of Long, giving the Americans a 1-2 finish. She then teamed up with Long, Hannah Aspden, and Mikaela Jenkins on that 4×100 medley relay 34 points.

Stickney returns to Trials with international experience under her belt, though she’s now racing in the S7 category. She made that switch after Tokyo due to medical complications and has already found success in her new classification. She won gold in the 100 and 400 freestyle S7 at the 2023 Para World Swimming Championships. Recently, she took down the classification’s world record in the 1500 free, though that’s not a Paralympic event.

Stickney is entered in what could be one of the best races of the meet: the women’s 400 freestyle S7. There, she’ll face off with the veteran McKenzie Coan, who won gold in the event in Tokyo and is hoping to punch her ticket to a 4th Paralympics. Paralympic medallist Ahalya Lettenberger will also be in the mix: she took silver behind Stickney in the event at 2023 Worlds.

Olivia Chambers, S13/SB13/SM13 — Entered in 50 free, 100 free, 400 free, 100 breast, 100 fly, 200 IM

There are many returning female Paralympic medalists looking to make another Paralympic team, but Olivia Chambers is one of the swimmers looking for her first set of rings.

Chambers broke out less than two years ago at the 2022 U.S. Paralympics Swimming Championships where she won two golds (400 free S13/200 IM SM13) and was named swimmer of the meet for earning the most points at the competition.

She got her first taste of international experience at 2023 Para Worlds, where she picked up six medals (2 silver, 4 bronze) in events ranging from the 50 freestyle to the 400 freestyle to the 200 IM. That versatility shows in her entries and like Long, she’s also entered in six events, keeping her options open as she aims to continue her rise.

Swimmers To Watch — Men:

Noah Jaffe, S8/SB8/SM8 — Entered in 100 free, 400 free, 100 fly, 200 IM

Last summer, Noah Jaffe made a huge impression at the 2023 Para World Championships in Manchester, UK. At his first Worlds and racing in the S8 classification, he earned four medals including gold in the 100 free and bronze in the 400 free. That success prompted him to take a gap year from the University of Cal, Berkeley and move to the U.S. Olympic Training Center as part of their Paralympic resident program.

A finalist for this year’s AAU Sullivan Award and the 2023 U.S. Nationals Swimmer of the Meet, Jaffe is another swimmer we’ve seen break out this quad who’s hoping to take the next step and make the Paralympic team.

Jamal Hill, S10/SB9/SM10 — Entered in 50 free, 100 free

You may know Jamal Hill best from his humanitarian work, specifically his organization Swim Uphill, which aims to teach a million people to swim every year. But Hill is also one of the fastest sprinters for the American para team. He won his first national title in 2018, and in 2021 was named to his first Paralympic team. In Tokyo, he earned his first Paralympic medal by taking bronze in the 50 freestyle S9. Since then, he’s competed at both the 2022 and 2023 Para World Swimming Championships, earning bronze in the 50 freestyle S9 in 2022.

At 2021 U.S. Trials, he raced the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 backstroke but this time he’s focused in on the freestyle sprints for a second Paralympic berth. He’s one of four American men in Minneapolis hoping to get back on the Paralympic team and defend their medals. Evan Austin, Matthew Torres, and David Abrahams are the other three.

David Abrahams, S13/SB13, SM13 — Entered in 100 free, 100 breast, 200 IM 

This summer is the last dance for Tokyo Paralympic silver medalist David Abrahams. At the beginning of the year, he shared with Karen Price via U.S. Para Swimming that he’s hanging up the goggles in September and starting his non-swimming career at an investment management company.

Since winning silver in the 100 breaststroke SB13 at his first Paralympic Games, Abrahams hasn’t had the easiest road back to Trials. Abrahams tore the labrum in his hip not long after the Tokyo Games. Despite uncertainty about if he could compete and what level he would be at, Abrahams went through the recovery process. He returned to international competition at 2023 Para Worlds, where he picked up a bronze medal in the 100 breast and matched his 4th place from Tokyo in the 200 IM.

Abrahams wrapped up his career at Harvard this spring and his retirement date is inching closer but first, he’s got his sights set on Paris.

Morgan Ray, SB6/SM6 — Entered in 100 breast, 200 IM

Morgan Ray has become one of our favorite Para-swimming follows on social media, but his stock has been rising in the pool as well. The owner of 8 American Records in long course (plus three more in short course), Ray has settled in as one of the world’s top breaststrokers in the SB6 class.

There is no 200 breast at the Paralympic Games (he’s the World Record holder), so his focus will be in the 100, where his best time of 1:22.31 from December is the American Record, though he is still about five seconds away from the World Record in the event.

Storylines To Follow:

Sibling Connections

At Lucas Oil Stadium, two sets of siblings were named to the U.S. Olympic Team for the first time since 2004 . In Minneapolis, the Gioffreda siblings look to add their names to the exclusive list of siblings who have competed together at the same Games.

Connor Gioffreda and Megan Gioffreda competed together at the 2023 ParaPan Games, which was M. Gioffreda’s first major international competition. She struck gold in Santiago, winning the women’s 200 IM S6.

Both siblings race in the S6/SB6/SM6 classification and hope to qualify for their first Paralympics. M. Gioffreda is entered in the 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 breast. Her older brother takes on the 100 free, 400 free, 50 fly, and 200 IM.

On The Comeback Trail

We’ve already touched on Stickey and Abraham’s roads back to the top of American para swimming. But they aren’t the only ones hoping to complete a comeback in Minneapolis. At 2022 Worlds, Leanne Smith won gold in all seven of her events–the most decorated performance by an American since Long won seven gold medals in 2010. At Worlds the next year, Smith was still returning to form after an illness, which affected her performance at her 4th Worlds. Now racing in a new classification, Smith’s turned her attention to the Paris Games in pursuit of her first Paralympic title.

Gia Pergolini, the reigning Paralympic champion in the 100 backstroke S13, took a break from the pool at the beginning of 2023. She stayed active though, and when she returned to competition at the end of the year, she broke two world records (the women’s 50m backstroke S13 and the 50m free).

Evan Austin, 31, also took some time away from the sport during this past quad. Like Pergolini, he returned to racing in the back half of 2023, competing at the 2023 ParaPan Games, which kickstarted his pursuit of Paris. If he makes the team, Austin will be a huge boost to the American men’s medal hopes. He’s the only returning swimmer on the men’s side who medaled in two individual events (gold 50 fly S7, bronze 400 free S7).

Tokyo Medallists Racing In Minneapolis:

• Men
  • Jamal Hill
  • Evan Austin
  • Matthew Torres
  • David Abrahams
• Women
  • Jessica Long
  • Elizabeth Marks
  • McKenzie Coan
  • Morgan Stickney
  • Julia Gaffney
  • Anastasia Pagonis
  • Mallory Weggemann
  • Hannah Aspden
  • Gia Pergolini
  • Colleen Young
  • Ahalya Lettenberger