U.S. To Select 2019 World Juniors Roster From 2019 U.S. Nationals

USA Swimming will use this week’s U.S. Nationals to select its roster for the 2019 World Junior Championships later this summer.

The U.S. Junior Nationals, taking place next week, will not serve as a selection meet – that means athletes will have to attend senior nationals to be eligible to qualify for World Juniors. That’s the same as the selection process was the last time around in 2017 – USA Swimming used senior Nationals as a selection meet, rather than Junior Nationals the week before.

U.S. Nationals will include a bonus 18&under heat for finals in order to better make selections. The top 24 finishers in heats will make the A, B and C finals as usual, but the D final will be reserved for the next 8 qualifiers who are under 18 years old. That heat won’t necessarily have all 8 swimmers eligible for World Juniors, though, as World Juniors determine age by year of birth, and USA Swimming typically uses age on the date of the event.

Team USA Selection Criteria, 2019 World Junior Championships

  • World Juniors are only open to boys ages 15-18 and girls ages 14-17 as of December 31, 2019. That means only boys born in 2001, 2002, 2003 or 2004 are eligible, along with girls born in 2002, 2003, 2004 or 2005.
  • The roster will be capped at 26 boys and 26 girls.

Priority 1: Highest-placing eligible swimmer in all individual events and four highest-placing eligible swimmers in the 100 and 200 frees.

Priority 2: Second-highest placing eligible swimmer in all individual events except 100/200 frees.

Priority 3: Fifth-highest placing eligible swimmer in 100 free.

If athletes decline their spot, the selection will move down to the next available athlete – so if the top 100 free finisher declines their roster spot, the next four highest-placing eligible swimmers will be selected under priority #1. However, no one lower than the 6th highest-placing swimmer will be selected in most events, and no one lower than the 8th highest-placing eligible swimmer will be selected in the 100 or 200 frees. All that means is that USA Swimming won’t take the 7th-best eligible 100 breaststroker if five of the top six decline the team, and it won’t select the 10th-best eligible 200 freestyler if too many of the top 9 decline positions.

Non-Olympic events:

USA Swimming won’t contest the 50s of fly, back and breast at Nationals, but they are contested at World Juniors. The top qualifier in the 100s of fly, back and breast will get the first priority entry in the corresponding 50. The second entry will go to the swimmer already on the World Juniors roster with the fastest time in the 50 of that stroke between January 1, 2018 and July 29 2019.

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Rev
5 years ago

2017 world juniors selected off world champ trials in June. 2017 not us open in aug of that year

Anonymous
5 years ago

I thought girls hit puberty on average 2 years before boys. Do they should either agh 2000 for boys or remove 2002 for girls.

James Beam
5 years ago

Just curious, why girls 14-17 and boys 15-18? Any thoughts behind the difference?

Dan
Reply to  James Beam
5 years ago

Just the way FINA does it, see World Junior Records as and example (it used to be 2 year difference).

AnEn
Reply to  James Beam
5 years ago

Girls peak earlier normally … not sure this is the answer you were looking for? I think if they would allow older girls, then many would already be established at senior level and would decide not to compete and if they would limit the age on the men’s side to 17 as well, then the performances would be less “impressive” which wouldn’t be good for their “product” (at least that is how i see it).

AnEn
5 years ago

Does anyone know which of the following swimmers are eligible?

– Carson Foster
– Miguel Duran
– Patrick Boyle
– Wyatt Davis
– Clark Beach
– Max McHugh
– Daniel Roy
– AJ Pouch
– AJ Bornstein
– Van Mathias
– Andrew Koustik
– Jake Foster

– Rachel Hand
– Grace Cooper
– Erica Sullivan
– Katharine Berkoff
– Alex Walsh
– Rhyan White
– Emily Weiss
– Zoe Bartel
– Kaitlyn Dobler
– Allie Raab
– Ella Nelson
– Olivia Bray

Swimmer
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

I don’t think Max Mchugh is based upon recent events

Jr World Top 8
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

Check out Mitch Dalton’s tweet on 7/5/19…

Lori
Reply to  Jr World Top 8
5 years ago

Thanks for this – here’s the link –

https://twitter.com/MitchDaltonNJT/status/1147304036753788928

Regan Smith is not listed, so she’s not eligible?

AnEn
Reply to  Lori
5 years ago

Thanks! Based on that list (if those would be the entry times), i would say the most realistic medal chances (if all the best talents from other countries compete) are in all relays + women’s 50/100 free, women’s 100 back, women’s 100 fly, women’s 200 IM + men’s 200 free, men’s 200 back, men’s 100/200 fly, men’s 100/200 breast and men’s 200/400 IM. Best gold medal chances should be in men’s 200 back, men’s 200 fly, men’s 100 breast, men’s 200/400 IM and the relays. Let’s see how that list looks once nationals are over.
Edit: Does anyone know why there is such a “slow” time for Curzan in the 50 free on the list? Didn’t she go sub… Read more »

Superfan
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

There is no way any girl going into their second year of college will be eligible unless she went to college at 16

AnEn
Reply to  Superfan
5 years ago

Who are you talking about? I am not from the US, so the only thing i know about those athletes are the times i found on the US swimming website (17/18 year old ranking -> Included guys born in 2001 and girls born in 2002), i find it quite difficult to find their date of birth, so i asked if someone (from the US, who knows those talents) could tell me whether they are eligible or not.

Dan
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

For the US 17-18 ranking a swimmer can be 18 years and 364 days old the day the meet starts and swim a time that qualifies them for those rankings. On the girls side you are better off looking at last years 13-14 and 15-16 rankings.

AnEn
Reply to  Dan
5 years ago

Yeah i know, but she could also be 17 years and 1 day -> Born in 2002
I think it would be nice if US swimming would add the date of birth to the list, but they probably aren’t allowed to do that. It is very difficult in my opinion to find out the date of birth for some of the athletes, often you only find their age and often that isn’t enough to tell whether someone is eligible or not.

Emily Billis
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

Max McHugh was just shot in the leg, doubt he will be recovered.

Club Coach
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

You can look up their ages on the psych sheet. Not sure where you got the list but just for example, Clark Beach is 20 and not eligible for Juniors. I don’t know if there is a FINA rule regarding how an athlete’s age is determined. Example, Robert Finke swam the 1500 at Pan Pac’s last August at age 18 in 14:48 something but by FINA rule, he is not credited with the Junior World Record because he turned 19 before the end of the year.

Club Coach
Reply to  Club Coach
5 years ago

If you look at the selection criteria, there apparently is such a rule.

AnEn
Reply to  Jared Anderson
5 years ago

Huge thanks! Walsh is too old? I can’t believe how fast time passes by … i still remember when Bobo was raving about her being a great young talent …

AFlyer
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

What is Bobo?

AFlyer
Reply to  AFlyer
5 years ago

Where*

IM FAN
5 years ago

Why not select them from last years nats, it did wonders at the world champs?

Joe
5 years ago

I wonder if Regan Smith will qualify….

Philip Johnson
Reply to  Joe
5 years ago

Dunno, think it will be a log shot.

Zanna
Reply to  Joe
5 years ago

50% chance

Chaitha D.
Reply to  Zanna
5 years ago

Lol

Nswim
5 years ago

I’d love to see analysis of the most likely to make it based off of the physic sheets

John
Reply to  Nswim
5 years ago

It’s summer man, no homework please

AnEn
5 years ago

A team with Curzan, Smith and Urlando would be really evil. Does anyone know where i can find US age group rankings?
Edit: Just looked at the US all-time ranking in men’s 50 free for 17/18 year olds and saw 21.71 for Mark Kroening and 21.63 for Jake McIntyre from this year, are those times real?

Wondering
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

Usaswimming.org

AnEn
Reply to  Wondering
5 years ago

I know this site, but i can only find all-time ranking and no rankings for this season only.

RMSC
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

you can run it for specific competition year: https://www.usaswimming.org/times/event-rank-search

Ger
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

If they were real, they would be listed in the world rankings and they’re not, so it looks like an error.

AnEn
Reply to  Ger
5 years ago

Thanks, i asked because the world ranking are normally not up to date and for example often the times of german swimmers are missing.

IM FAN
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

Short course times can sometimes sneak into the rankings. They’re not.

AnEn
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

Also Carson Foster, those 4 alone should combine for 10 golds at least.

Rafael
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

Which 10? Actually looking at World Ranking for 2019

Regan Smith would have the 100/200 back
On 100 fly there is Shkurdai and 200 Blanka and Zhou ahead

There are Chinese girls faster than the Walsh Sisters

Urlando is favorite by far on 200 fly, but not on 100 (Minakov is eligible for example)

AnEn
Reply to  Rafael
5 years ago

Smith: 50/100/200 back + 200 fly + maybe 200 free/100 fly
Urlando: 200 fly + maybe 200 free
Curzan: 50 free
Foster: 200/400 IM + maybe 200 back

I have no doubt that Smith can go faster than 2:09 high in the 200 fly and in the 100 fly i think she can go at least sub 58, not sure Shkurdai will be able to go 57 low at junior worlds after tapering for junior europeans this month
Don’t know what you mean with the Walsh sisters, i didn’t even mention them.
Minakov is the only one i see ahead of Urlando in the 100 fly and i am not sure whether he will go… Read more »

Rafael
Reply to  AnEn
5 years ago

the Chinese are also faster than curzan
Urlando depends on what djakovic and others will bring
Smith 200 free she would need a huge pb if the Chinese go full force
Also foster 200 back is open to debate

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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