The TAC Titans have earned the #1 spot in USA Swimming’s annual Club Excellence Program rankings, marking the first time in eight years the top spot didn’t go to Nation’s Capital Swim Club (NCAP).
USA Swimming announced Monday the 200 clubs that will be recognized as Gold, Silver or Bronze medal clubs in the program, which “recognizes the organization’s highest-performing clubs in the development of athletes ages 18 years and younger on an annual basis.”
This was the first year that open water performances were factored into the rankings, and another change was that any USA Swimming member clubs with a 2020 Olympic qualifying athlete automatically qualified for Gold status (provided they met minimum eligibility requirements).
The TAC Titans totalled 69,591 points, taking out seven-year defending champion NCAP (60,376) by 9,215 points.
The Titans were led by the likes of 2020 Olympian Claire Curzan and top-ranked age group swimmers Charlotte Hook and Lance Norris.
SwimMAC Carolina, Dynamo Swim Club and Carmel Swim Club round out the top five for 2022.
The Point System Explained
USA Swimming member clubs earn points based off athlete performance scores. Each team’s ranking score is based on the FINA Points Table, a power point rating system that assigns point values to individual swimming performances based on the Gold, Silver or Bronze time standard. All program requirements, including time standards, can be viewed here.
-USA Swimming
The primary objectives of the program are as follows, courtesy of USA Swimming:
- The development of strong, well-rounded age group and senior swimming programs that produce elite 18 & under athletes;
- Resources to motivate and assist USA Swimming member clubs to achieve the highest athlete performance ideals;
- Grant funding; and
- The USA Swimming club development system as an integral part in achieving excellence in the sport.
2022 USA Swimming Gold Medal Clubs
| Rank | Club Name | LSC | Points |
| 1 | TAC Titans | NC | 69,591 |
| 2 | Nation’s Capital Swim Club | PV | 60,376 |
| 3 | SwimMAC Carolina | NC | 56,233 |
| 4 | Dynamo Swim Club | GA | 52,690 |
| 5 | Carmel Swim Club | IN | 47,162 |
| 6 | Mission Viejo Nadadores | CA | 46,396 |
| 7 | Sarasota Sharks | FL | 45,915 |
| 8 | Sandpipers of Nevada | CA | 40,156 |
| 9 | NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, Inc. | VA | 36,755 |
| 10 | Irvine Novaquatics | CA | 34,805 |
| 11 | SwimAtlanta | GA | 34,738 |
| 12 | Lakeside Swim Team | KY | 33,463 |
| 13 | Bluefish Swim Club | NE | 30,411 |
| 14 | Scottsdale Aquatic Club | AZ | 27,991 |
| 15 | Long Island Aquatic Club | MR | 27,844 |
| 16 | Elmbrook Swim Club | WI | 27,239 |
| 17 | University of Denver Hilltoppers | CO | 25,942 |
| 18 | Bolles School Sharks | FL | 25,216 |
| 19 | Lakeside Aquatic Club | NT | 24,564 |
| 20 | Club Wolverine | MI | 23,430 |
| 21 | Arlington Aquatic Club | PV | 10,264 |
Click here to view the complete 2022 Club Excellence Program results.
Arlington Aquatic Club was the lone club to reach the Gold Medal ranking for the first time, with a total of 20 clubs achieving their first medal recognition.
Florida Swimming led all LSCs with 14 clubs recognized.
In addition to the Club Excellence Program, USA Swimming will also honor 15 clubs as 2022 Podium Clubs. A team earns Podium Club status by earning the Gold Medal ranking for four straight years. They are as follows:
2022 Podium Clubs
- TAC Titans
- Nation’s Capital Swim Club
- SwimMAC Carolina
- Dynamo Swim Club
- Carmel Swim Club
- Mission Viejo Nadadores
- Sarasota Sharks
- Sandpipers of Nevada
- NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, Inc.
- Irvine Novaquatics
- SwimAtlanta
- Lakeside Swim Team
- Bluefish Swim Club
- Long Island Aquatic Club
- Elmbrook Swim Club
Why isn’t that new team from Illinois on the list. FMC. I thought they were good
Wow that John Nelson is really doing great he should win coach of the year or something idk just a non biased thought
Dude keeps chasing his predecessor, but is definitely moving on up
Would love to see a breakdown of points/registered swimmer. Is there a place to find # of registered swimmers per club?
Nowhere public, unfortunately. A few clubs list numbers on their websites, but most don’t. Sometimes LSCs put that data out, though it can be hard to discern between “competitive” and “recreational” swimmers.
Everyone always wants to know points/swimmer, but unfortunately it’s not data we’re ever going to get.
I don’t think USA Swimming would want to promote a metric that encourages clubs to drop, or not accept, lower-level swimmers.
Maybe you could use total swimmers per team at their latest LSC champs meet or equivalent, to get a rough guesstimate. That info is somewhat readily available.
Would also love to see a point/athlete breakdown. Which club is scoring by attrition vs club maximizing each athlete?
The pound for pound metric. It would highlight smaller clubs (medium and small in size) and their coaching / performance ability. The Heavyweight champs (top five to ten anyway) are fun to analyze too. But there is something to be said for punching above your weight.