The 2015 Irish National Championships, besides being the World Championship Selection meet for the home team, played host to a bevy of international competitors at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin.
Among the internationals present was the NCSA All-America team from the United States, a team of 51 swimmers chosen among the participants of the NCSA Junior National Championships.
While some of those swimmers, like 2012 Short Course World Championship team member Katie Drabot, have international experience, for most of the roster, this was their first exposure to this kind of high-level competition abroad.
Among those newcomers to international competition is high school junior Reilly Lanigan of the Patriot Aquatic Club in Illinois, who produced the above video of the team’s journey.
While not an official USA Swimming travel team, the bonds formed on these sorts of “all-star” international rosters are the foundation of the USA Swimming program, and a key part of establishing a universal culture of excellence and unity even across the vast geographic and training expanse that is the United States.
For her part, Lanigan swam B-Finals in the 200 and 400 freestyles and the 200 IM.