Swimming Australia has announced a 21-strong roster, dubbed the “Australia A” team, set to compete at the TYR Pro Championships in Irvine, California, from August 5–8.
The squad features a mix of experienced national representatives and emerging athletes aiming for selection to next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, as well as future major competitions, including the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships and the 2028 Olympic Games, both set to be held in the same area of Southern California.
While referred to as the “A” team, the roster is primarily composed of top-tier swimmers who narrowly missed selection for the Dolphins’ World Championships squad. This year’s roster includes two Paris Olympians from last July: Ben Armbruster, who touched 9th in the 100m butterfly and 14th in the 50m freestyle, and Se-Bom Lee, who placed 18th in the 200m backstroke.
Beyond the two Olympians, other big names to watch include 22-year-old Jamie Jack, who owns best times of 21.66 and 48.27 in the sprint freestyles but was a bit off the pace at Trials, posting 21.84 for 5th in the 50 and 48.75 for 7th in the 100. Also notable team members are Tom Nowakowski, who finished 3rd in the 50 at Trials with a personal best of 21.78; rising butterflier and backstroker Bella Grant; and improving middle-distance freestylers Amelia Weber and Inez Miller.
Eight members of the Australia ‘A’ team that traveled to Irvine in 2023 were recently named in the Dolphins team for the World Championships in Singapore this July, highlighting the meet’s importance as a stepping stone to make Olympic and World Championship teams.
National Youth Coach Simon Cusack, a four-time Olympic coach who has spent 20 years coaching multi-time Olympic champions Cate and Bronte Campbell, and Australia’s most decorated Paralympic champion Ellie Cole, will lead the team.
“Providing international racing opportunities for this group of athletes is a key to ensure continued upward pressure for places in the senior Dolphins team… think of it like swimmers providing upward pressure on the diamonds,” Cusack said.
He added, “It’s also an opportunity to analyze the challenges we may face ahead of 2026 regarding travel, time zones, and in the long term, learnings to take into LA 2028. For the likes of Olympian Lee, Jamie Jack and Bailey Lello, this is also an opportunity to be reinvigorated and remotivated towards 2028.”
“Our job in pathways is to create an oversupply of swimmers. Complacency detracts from real talent reaching their potential and this tour is an important step in unleashing potential,” Cusack said.
Full Roster:
| Athlete Name | Club | Coach Name |
| Alyssa Burgess | Highlanders | Will Scott |
| Amelia Weber | St Peters | Dean Boxall |
| Bailey Lello | St Peters | Dean Boxall |
| Bella Grant | Trinity | Ben Tuxford |
| Ben Armbruster | Bond |
Chris Mooney
|
| Finlay Schuster | Nudgee | Shaun Crow |
| Inez Miller | Fenix | Will Scott |
| Isabelle Boyd | Nunawading | Jol Finck |
| Jaimie De Lutiis | Wests Illawarra | Pat Stellino |
| Jamie Jack | St Peters | Dean Boxall |
| Joshua Collett | Bond |
Chris Mooney
|
| Kayla Hardy | Cruiz |
Shannon Rollason
|
| Layla Day | Bond |
Kyle Samuelson
|
| Matt Galea | SOPAC | Adam Kable |
| Mia O’Leary | Griffith | Mel Marshall |
| Molly Walker | Southern Performance | Craig Stewart |
| Se-Bom Lee | SOPAC | Adam Kable |
| Semra Olowoniyi | Nunawading | Jol Finck |
| Sienna Harben | Griffith | Mel Marshall |
| Tiana Kritzinger | Rackley |
Damien Jones
|
| Tom Nowakowski | USC | Michael Sage |
