Thomas Heilman, Alex Shackell, Jo Jo Ramey Highlight U.S. Junior Nationals (Psych Sheets)
This summer’s edition of U.S. Junior Nationals will take place over the next five days from Monday, Aug. 1 through Friday, Aug. 5 in Irvine, Calif., at the same venue that just hosted U.S. Nationals. Several of the top young swimmers in the country will be racing in either the last meet of their summer seasons or in a tune-up for the upcoming Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Honolulu.
The top swimmers at the meet will include 15-year-old Thomas Heilman, who tore up the National Age Group record books during his 13-14 years before aging up this year. Heilman will swim the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle plus the 100 and 200 butterfly this week, and he is the top seed in both fly races. The top-ranked entrant into both women’s fly events is another 15-year-old, Indiana-native Alex Shackell, who will be joined at this meet by her brother Aaron. Another swimmer from the Hoosier state, Fishers Area’s Jo Jo Ramey, will lead the way in the women’s 200 backstroke after making the final in the event at last year’s Olympic Trials and again at the U.S. International Team Trials in April.
Nick Mahabir is seeded first in both men’s breaststroke events after winning the 100 breast B-final at the International Team Trials, while Josh Zuchowski is the favorite in the men’s 200 backstroke after qualifying for the final in the event at International Team Trials. Jillian Cox, a top-eight finisher in the 800 and 1500 free at this year’s Trials, is first in both of those events, while Justina Kozan, a 400 IM finalist at Olympic Trials, has the best entry time in the 200 free and 200 IM. Owen McDonald leads the way in the men’s 100 back and 200 IM.
The group of female swimmers set to go on to Junior Pan Pacs includes Alex Shackell, Cox, Berit Berglund, Maggie Wanezek and Irvine Novaquatics swimmer Teagan O’Dell, while the men’s list includes Aaron Shackell, Heilman, Zucwhoski, Diggory Dillingham, Rex Maurer and Henry McFadden.
Just as with the senior edition of Nationals, prelims for each day of Junior Nationals will begin each day at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET), with finals set to go at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET).
Check out the full psych sheet for the meet here.
Top Seed in Each Individual Event:
- Women’s 200 Butterfly: Alex Shackell (Carmel Swim Club)
- Men’s 200 Butterfly: Thomas Heilman (Cavalier Aquatics)
- Women’s 100 Breaststroke: Emma Weber (Denver Hilltoppers)
- Men’s 100 Breaststroke: Nick Mahabir (Coronado Swim Association)
- Women’s 800 Freestyle: Jillian Cox (Longhorn Aquatics)
- Men’s 1500 Freestyle: Jacob Pishko (Lakeside Aquatic Club)
- Women’s 100 Freestyle: Kayla Wilson (Tide Swimming)
- Men’s 100 Freestyle: Nate Germonprez (Inspire Swim Team)
- Women’s 400 IM: Zoe Dixon (Nova of Virginia)
- Men’s 400 IM: Diego Nosack (Tualatin Hills Swim Club)
- Women’s 400 Freestyle: Jillian Cox (Longhorn Aquatics)
- Men’s 400 Freestyle: Rex Maurer (Unattached)
- Women’s 100 Butterfly: Alex Shackell (Carmel Swim Club)
- Men’s 100 Butterfly: Thomas Heilman (Cavalier Aquatics)
- Women’s 200 Backstroke: Jo Jo Ramey (Fishers Area Swimming Tigers)
- Men’s 200 Backstroke: Josh Zuchowski (Flood Aquatics Swim Team)
- Women’s 200 Freestyle: Justina Kozan (Mission Viejo Nadadores)
- Men’s 200 Freestyle: Henry McFadden (Jersey Wahoos)
- Women’s 100 Backstroke: Berit Berglund (Carmel Swim Club)
- Men’s 100 Backstroke: Owen McDonald (Dynamo Swim Club)
- Women’s 200 Breaststroke: Katherine Adams (Tualatin Hills Swim Club)
- Men’s 200 Breaststroke: Nick Mahabir (Coronado Swim Association)
- Women’s 200 IM: Justina Kozan (Mission Viejo Nadadores)
- Men’s 200 IM: Owen McDonald (Dynamo Swim Club)
- Women’s 1500 Freestyle: Sophie Knapp (Tide Swimming)
- Women’s 50 Freestyle: Alexa Fulton (Upper Main Line YMCA)
- Men’s 50 Freestyle: Diggory Dillingham (Bend Swim Club)
- Men’s 800 Freestyle: Matthew Chai (Fast Swim Team)