USA Swimming announced Tuesday the dates, locations, and time standards for the 2018 USA Swimming Winter Nationals as well as the 2018 Speedo Winter Junior Championships — East and West.
Winter Nationals will take place from November 28th-December 1st in Greensboro, North Carolina, and will be swum long course in order to allow swimmers to achieve 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials cuts. Note that as we previously reported, the 2018 USA Swimming Summer Nationals will not count for Olympic Trials qualification.
Winter Nationals have been long course twice before — 2015 in Federal Way and 2011 in Atlanta.
Winter Juniors — East will also take place in Greensboro, from December 5th-8th. Juniors — West will be swum in Austin, Texas, over the same dates. The junior meets remain short course.
View the time standards below:
The 2018 Winter Nationals and Junior National cuts are ready to go. Don't forget the Winter Nationals will be long course meters and Juniors will be short course yards. Winter nationals could be a good place to pick up trials cuts. pic.twitter.com/93w5o5wzav
— USA Swimming News (@USASwimmingNews) March 6, 2018
Winter Nationals mark the opening of the qualifying period for Olympic Trials in 2020. The dates for Trials, which will again take place in Omaha, Nebraska’s CenturyLink Center, have not been announced; when they are, the qualifying period ending will be determined.
Olympic Trials qualifying standards have been promised for late September 2018.
What is the name of the pool in Greensboro? I know it’s early but I’d would like to look into hotel reservations.
The Greensboro Aquatic Center
Winter Nationals 2011 were long course in Atlanta, too.
Will Winter Juniors — East & West be LCM too? It doesn’t specify in the article.
Juniors will be SCY
SCY Winter nats have always confused me. In early December most college teams go to an invite for their Winter taper meet, & many juniors swim at jr nationals. Winter Nats if often a mix of a few college teams, some age groupers, and post grads who don’t usually care about yards. Swimmers who focus on SCY (college swimmers, age groupers) already have plenty of other meets at this time to swim at. Seems like it would make sense to have a big LCM Winter meet that most elite swimmers could take more seriously.
I think it’ll have a bigger audience now that it’s Lcm and the pros can taper for it mid season.
A significant pro squad will be prepping for SCM worlds over this
West Juniors at the Lee & Joe Jamail pool?
That’s correct.
SCM worlds take place a week and a half after that.
Noteworthy addition: both junior national meets (east and west) will be holding long course time trials on the Sunday after the meet concludes.