The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the U.S. Parapan American Swimming and all sports teams that will compete at the Parapan American Games Lima 2019 from Aug. 23 – Sept. 1 in Peru. The U.S. roster is comprised of 159 men and 98 women, and includes six guides and pilots.
“I am honored to welcome this talented group of athletes to the U.S. roster for the Parapan American Games,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “We are excited to cheer them on in Lima, and we look forward to supporting every member of Team USA as they pursue success both on and off the field of play.”
The Parapan American Games are held every four years and precede the Paralympic Games by one year. Team USA will be represented in 16 sports during the 11-day competition. The U.S. will compete in every sport on the Parapan American Games program, with the exception of 5-a-side soccer. New to the Parapan Am program this year are the sports of badminton, shooting and taekwondo.
The 2019 U.S. Parapan American squad of 257 athletes features 114 Paralympians, including 67 Paralympic medalists and 36 Paralympic champions. The men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams and the women’s sitting volleyball team enter Lima as the reigning Paralympic champions. Other top individuals to watch include: cycling’s four-time Paralympic medalist Joe Berenyi (Oswego, Illinois), three-time Paralympic champion Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas) and two-time Paralympic champion Deja Young (Mesquite, Texas), both of track and field.
American athletes will be seeking Paralympic qualification in five sports. The men’s wheelchair rugby and sitting volleyball teams can punch their tickets to Tokyo with first-place finishes, while the men’s goalball team must finish first among teams who have yet to qualify. The men’s wheelchair basketball team can qualify with a top-three finish, while the women’s wheelchair basketball team can qualify with a top-two finish. In wheelchair tennis, singles winners will earn an individual slot to Tokyo.
Coverage of the 2019 U.S. Parapan American Team can be found at TeamUSA.org/Parapan2019 and on Team USA’s social channels featuring the hashtag #Lima2019. Additionally, visit TeamUSA.org/USADaily to sign up to receive the USA Daily, a digital news blast that provides Team USA results and highlights each night via email during the Games.
Click here to view the complete 2019 U.S. Parapan American Team roster. A full Parapan American Swimming roster is available below.
2019 U.S. Parapan American Swimming Women’s Roster
- Hallie Anderson
- Hannah Aspden
- Grace Bristow
- Leslie Cichocki
- Alyssia Crook
- Abby Gase
- Alyssa Gialamas
- McClain Hermes
- Keegan Knott
- Elise Morley
- Abbey Nardella
- Amanda Palyo
- Cali Prochaska
- Summer Schmit
- Aspen Shelton
- Haven Shepherd
- Natalie Sims
- Lizzi Smith
- Samantha Tubbs
- MeiMei White
2019 U.S. Parapan American Swimming Men’s Roster
- Caleb Cripe
- Tye Dutcher
- David Gelfand
- Connor Gioffreda
- Jamal Hill
- Ross Minor
- Garner Moss
- Joe Murray, Jr.
- Joseph Peppersack
- Jonny Pierce
- Morgan Ray
- Carson Sanocki
- Zach Shattuck
- Liam Smith
- Matthew Torre
Lima 2019 – By the Numbers
- 1,850 total athletes estimated
- 16 sports on the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 program
- 17 total sports
- 11 competition days
Team USA Notes & Storylines
- The 2019 U.S. Parapan American Team includes 257 athletes, including six guides and pilots (159 men and 98 women).
- Team USA will be competing in 16 sports.
- The 2019 roster features 114 Paralympians – including 67 Paralympic medalists and 36 Paralympic champions.
- A total of 41 states are represented (by hometown) on the U.S. roster; California leads with 32 athletes.
- Team USA includes 31 athletes who speak Spanish.
- The youngest and oldest members on the team are 14-year-old swimmer Keegan Knott (July 11, 2005; Lake Villa, Illinois) and 72-year-old table tennis athlete Terese Terranova (May 21, 1947; Fort Lauderdale, Florida).
- One married couple will compete for Team USA in Lima – track and field athletes Kym Crosby (Yuba City, California) and Erik Hightower (Glendale, Arizona) will compete internationally for the first time since getting married in September 2018.
- Soccer player Josh Brunais (Stafford, Virginia) served as the U.S. flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016.
- Twenty-three athletes have military ties – including 16 with Army, three with Air Force, two with the Marine Corps and two with the Navy. The men’s sitting volleyball team boasts the most veterans with six athletes on the team having previously served in the armed forces.
- More than 80 current or former collegiate athletes will compete for Team USA in Lima, including 12 current varsity NCAA student-athletes with a disability.
The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.