All-American sprinter Maxine Parker is finishing her Masters degree at Virginia and then will move to California to train with the upstart Aquatic Sports Performance in January.
- Watch an interview with ASP CEO and head coach Sean Kao to learn more about the team’s training here.
Parker spent a week training with ASP in Brea, California in early November, including racing at a local meet where she posted 22.78 in the 50 yard free and 49.16 in the 100 yard free.
“Everyone was so nice, and I really loved the training group,” Parker said of her trial. “I’ve always been interested in the different approaches to sprint training. ASP has a training plan/approach that I thought would be fun and that could help me continue to improve in swimming. The training group is also on the smaller side and seems very close. I was drawn to how much the team cares about each other and swimming.”
Parker says she’ll compete with the team at the U.S. Open next week in Austin, and then move there after finishing her Masters of Science in Statistics. She is one of a number of key members of the Virginia swimming dynasty who are working in math and science fields aligned with the team’s intricate work with people like Ken Ono.
As for her long-term goals, Parker made no sweeping plans. “Right now I’m just enjoying the sport and seeing how it fits into my life after college,” she said.
ASP has become a buzzy new pro/post-grad training group after Santo Condorelli began training there shortly before qualifying for his first U.S. team at the 2025 World Championship Trials. World Champions and Olympic gold medalists Caeleb Dressel and Michael Andrew also spent a short camp there earlier this year, though neither seems to be permanently moving their training homes there.
The current ASP Training Group:
- Maxine Parker
- Santo Condorelli
- Calvyn Justus
- Santiago Grassi
- Marina Spadoni
- Natalie Kan
- Nikola Andjelic
- Caeleb Dressel (remote strength only)
Parker is originally from the northern suburbs of Chicago, though she also spent time at the Chelsea Piers Athletic Club in Connecticut (also the youth club of Kate Douglass, among others).
She was a member of the 2019 World Junior Championships team, winning a gold and silver medal.
She started her college career at Georgia, but transferred to Virginia after two years and became part of the Cavaliers’ three most recent NCAA Championship teams.
In total, she has 8 NCAA titles (all in relays), 5 ACC titles (all in relays), and 15 All-America awards as a sprint freestyler. She also won five golds and six total medals at the 2025 World University Games.
Parker finished 6th in the 50 free and 7th in the 100 free at the 2025 U.S. World Championship Trials, missing qualifying for the U.S. team by just a few spots in each race. That includes finishing just .02 seconds behind her Virginia teammate Anna Moesch for a spot on the 400 free relay.
Her effort in the 50 free qualified her for the U.S. National Championship Team.
Marina Spadoni has been at it forever.
Yeah…she’s also working as their lead clinician. But she’s not just kind of coasting through…she swam SC Worlds last year, for example, so she’s actually making the trips and swimming the meets.
Funny, in text there is no mention who are the coaches there?
Yes there is.
Calvyn Justus wow there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.
He’s gone 19.0 in the 50 scy very lately too!
Must have been a relay split or VERY lately, as his PB per SwimCloud is :19.42 from early this November.
Same. He’s been training there since the spring. Returned to competition earlier this year after ~6 years away. I actually had that same convo with Sean earlier when I was asking him for the updated list of pros lol.
Said those exact words when reading the article
Is Chelsea Piers in CT???
yes!