While many of Team USA’s top names are competing at major international meets this summer, U.S. Nationals will go a long way in determining the national team for the upcoming year, 2019-2020.
In contrast to the national travel teams that headed to World Championships, World University Games or Pan American Games this summer, the U.S. National Team is a broader umbrella, comprising the top American athletes in every Olympic event. We profiled the benefits and specific perks of National Team status a few years ago, but the most notable benefits include access to monthly stipends from USA Swimming, meet reimbursements and elite athlete health insurance, plus access to the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
With that in mind, here’s a look at how the 2019-2020 U.S. National Team will be selected. You can see the full criteria here.
- Top 6 athletes in each individual Olympic event
- as determined by FINA.org’s World Rankings from January 1, 2019 through August 25, 2019
- Rankings will be pulled from the FINA site on September 3 (giving swimmers a chance to make sure their time is included in the database)
- Prelims, semifinals and finals (A, B, C and D) from all USA Swimming or FINA sanctioned meets are eligible
- Relay leadoffs, time trials, swim-offs and intermediate splits are not eligible
We’ll be tracking the running national team ranks each night of U.S. Nationals to see which swims from the meet have cracked the current list.
Honestly Farris should go pro after he lights up nationals to grab great sponsors before the Olympics, being a Harvard man for all we know he’ll retire once he gets his degree to go do big boy grad school stuff after the Olympics. Either way going pro two years later (summer 2021) and missing the pre-Tokyo endorsement window is very risky
he shouldn’t go pro before his eligibility is over… he should aim for some NCAA records instead
Who would deign to suggest what GOD *should* do??
May ye be smote down!
Can the collegiate athletes still accept the stipend?
Yes
“Relay leadoffs, time trials, swim-offs and intermediate splits are not eligible“
So has the great ZAPPLE not solidified his place or did he swim an individual race at WUGS?
His 48.01 individual time from WUGs should get him on the team. He’s currently 3rd in that event and 3rd in the 200 as well.
Is there an A funding and B funding also for National Team?
A bunch of World swimmers also went to World Cup from Korea so those times are still in consideration?
That’s correct. As noted above, the national team is selected based on world ranks through August 25.
Licon will be the fastest American 200 breaststroker after next week.
And quite possibly the 200 IM as well