Thomas Heilman, Maximus Williamson Headline Strong Fields for U.S. Winter Junior Nationals (Psych Sheets)
Many of the top teenage swimmers in the United States will race in short course yards this week as USA Swimming holds its always-well-attended Junior Nationals, with the meet split between two sites: Greensboro, N.C., and Austin, Texas. Thomas Heilman, who represented the U.S. in both butterfly events at the Paris Olympics, is the highest-profile swimmer entered in one of the meets while six swimmers who won gold at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships will compete. Both meets will be contested in short course yards.
Junior Nationals East
Heilman will make his final stop at the Greensboro juniors meet after demolishing National Age Group records at this event in previous years. The 17-year-old from Cavalier Aquatics is entered in the 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 fly and 200 fly, but he will also appear on a full slate of relays in which he could challenge further records.
Also racing are a pair of 15-year-olds who made finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials and went on to win gold at Junior Pan Pacs: the versatile Audrey Derivaux and sprinter Rylee Erisman. Derivaux, who swept the butterfly events during her trip to Australia in August after making an Olympic Trials final at age 14, is entered in the 500 free, 200 IM, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 free and 200 fly, although she will surely cut down her program at the meet. Erisman will swim both sprint events plus both backstroke races, the 100 fly and 200 IM.
Three other swimmers who contributed to relay golds at Junior Pan Pacs are also set to participate: Jason Zhao, Elle Scott and Norvin Clontz. Charlotte Crush, who won two individual silver medals at Junior Pan Pacs and made Trials semifinals in two events, will race as well. Notably, Olympian Alex Shackell and Junior Pan Pacs winner Lilla Bognar will be absent from this meet despite their respective club teams attending. Both swimmers will be in Budapest racing at the Short Course World Championships.
Junior Nationals West
The Austin meet will offer a greater quantity of well-regarded junior-level swimmers, with reigning National High School Swimmer of the Year Maximus Williamson at the forefront. Williamson, who narrowly missed qualifying for an Olympic Trials final this year, will swim the 200 IM, 50 free, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 free and 200 fly. It would not be surprising to see him exchange records with Heilman, his future Virginia teammate, as the two race halfway across the country from each other.
Luke Ellis, who won Junior Pan Pacs gold in the 800 free, will headline the 500 free, 400 IM, 200 back and 200 fly, and on the women’s side, the standouts from Junior Pan Pacs include Teagan O’Dell, Kayla Han and Paige Downey.
O’Dell has also captured a high school swimmer of the year honor in addition to her finals appearance in the 200 back at Olympic Trials and her 200 IM gold earlier this year in Australia, and the versatile future Cal swimmer has entered the 200 IM plus the 50, 100 and 200 free and both backstroke events.
Han, who was fourth in the 400 free at Olympic Trials and won 800 free gold at Junior Pan Pacs, will swim a grueling program including the 200, 500 and 1650 free, both IM events and the 200 fly. Downey, the Junior Pan Pacs winner in the 1500-meter free, swims the 500 and 1650-yard events along with the 400 IM and 200 fly.
Piper Enge, who is now a freshman at the University of Texas, is scheduled to compete in her signature breaststroke events in her home pool while Trials finalist and Junior Pan Pacs runnerup Madi Mintenko is entered in the meet along with Gavin Keough and Rowan Cox. Olympians Katie Grimes and Claire Weinstein, who swim alongside Ellis with the Sandpipers of Nevada, will be absent as they race in Budapest.
