McKenzie Coan, Lizzi Smith, Jessica Long and Mikaela Jenkins combined for 18 medals at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fifty-three athletes were named to the 2020 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Team, as announced today by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The team features 33 women and 20 men, including 19 Paralympians and nine reigning world champions.
“With this being a Paralympic Games year, this is an incredibly important time for our team,” said Queenie Nichols, director of U.S. Paralympics Swimming. “The team just concluded a national team camp which only heightened their excitement for Tokyo 2020.This will be an exciting year, and we can’t wait to get the season started.”
The national team is headlined by 13-time Paralympic champion Jessica Long (Baltimore, Maryland) and six-time Paralympic medalist Becca Meyers (Timonium, Maryland). Long seeks to make an appearance at her fifth Paralympic Games this year, while Meyers is the reigning world record holder in the 400-meter individual medley SM12. They are joined by four-time Paralympic medalist McKenzie Coan (Clarkesville, Georgia). Long, Meyers and Coan combined for 15 medals at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships.
The roster also includes nine current world champions. Joining Coan and Meyers as world champions are Evan Austin (Terre Haute, Indiana), Julia Gaffney (Mayflower, Arkansas), Robert Griswold (Freehold, New Jersey), Mikaela Jenkins (Evansville, Indiana), Elizabeth Marks (Prescott Valley, Arizona), Leanne Smith (Salem, Massachusetts) and Mallory Weggemann (Eagan, Minnesota), who all had dominating performances at the 2019 world championships, bringing home a total of 14 gold medals.
The 2020 national team also welcomes a few newcomers who will make their national team debut. Sarah Bofinger (Rockville, Maryland), Parker Egbert (Greenville, South Carolina), Audrey Kim (Salt Lake City, Utah), Peter Lermo (Springfield, Virginia) and Adin Williams (Happy Valley, Oregon) all join the roster for the first time.
International competition kicks off in February, with athletes competing in Melbourne, Australia, to begin the World Para Swimming World Series circuit. Indianapolis will be one of the seven stops on the world series tour, with competition running April 16-18.
The U.S. Paralympic Team Trials will be held June 25-28 in Minneapolis, where the athletes who will represent Team USA in Tokyo will be named. The Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be held Aug. 25 - Sept. 6.
For updates throughout the season, follow U.S. Paralympics Swimming on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
2020 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Team
* Denotes U.S. Paralympian
^ Denotes 2019 world champion
| Name | Hometown | Class |
|---|---|---|
| A Team | ||
| *^Evan Austin | Terre Haute, Ind. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| *^McKenzie Coan | Clarkesville, Ga. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| ^Julia Gaffney | Mayflower, Ark. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| *^Robert Griswold | Freehold, N.J. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| *Sophia Herzog | Fairplay, Colo. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| ^Mikaela Jenkins | Evansville, Ind. | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| Ahalya Lettenberger | Glen Ellyn, Ill. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| *Jessica Long | Baltimore, Md. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| *^Ellie Marks | Prescott Valley, Ariz. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| *^Becca Meyers | Timonium, Md. | S12/SB12/SM12 |
| Ross Minor | St. Augustine, Fla. | S11/SB11/SM11 |
| Gia Pergolini | Roswell, Ga. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| Lawrence Sapp | Waldorf, Md. | S14/SB14/SM14 |
| *Lizzi Smith | Muncie, Ind. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| ^Leanne Smith | Salem, Mass. | S3/SB3/SM3 |
| Matthew Torres | Ansonia, Conn. | S8/SB8/SM8 |
| *^Mallory Weggemann | Eagan, Minn. | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| *Colleen Young | St. Louis, Mo. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| B Team | ||
| *Hannah Aspden | Raleigh, N.C. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| *Cailin Currie | Danvers, Mass. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| *Alyssa Gialamas | Naperville, Ill. | S5/SB4/SM5 |
| *Martha Ruether | Allegany, N.Y. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| Carson Sanocki | Charlotte, N.C. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| Summer Schmit | Stillwater, Minn. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Zach Shattuck | Mt. Airy, Md. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| Aspen Shelton | Willow Park, Texas | S12/SB12/SM12 |
| *Brad Snyder | Baltimore, Md. | S11/SB11/SM11 |
| *Natalie Sims | Minneapolis, Minn. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Samantha Tubbs | King George, Va. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Adin Williams | Happy Valley, Ore. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| C Team | ||
| Sarah Bofinger | Rockville, Md. | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| *Leslie Cichocki | Palos Hills, Ill. | S14/SB14/SM14 |
| Alyssia Crook | Allendale, Mich. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| *Tye Dutcher | Merced, Calif. | S10, SB9, SM10 |
| Parker Egbert | Greenwood, S.C. | S14/SB14/SM14 |
| Abigail Gase | Tontogany, Ohio | S7/SB6/SM7 |
| David Gelfand | Weston, Conn. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| Connor Gioffreda | Timonium, Md. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| *McClain Hermes | Dacula, Ga. | S11/SB11/SM11 |
| Jamal Hill | Inglewood, Calif. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| Audrey Kim | Salt Lake City, Utah | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| Keegan Knott | Lake Villa, Ill. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Peter Lermo | Springfield, Va. | S10/SB9/SM10 |
| Elise Morley | Norton, Mass. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Joe Murray | Burlington, N.C. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| Makayla Nietzel | Crystal Lake, Ill. | S13/SB13/SM13 |
| Joey Peppersack | Hopewell, Va. | S8/SB7/SM8 |
| Jonathan Pierce | Torrance, Calif. | S14/SB14/SM14 |
| Cali Prochaska | Fort Wayne, Ind. | S9/SB8/SM9 |
| Benjamin Ramirez | Knoxville, Tenn. | S9/SB9/SM9 |
| Morgan Ray | St. Augustine, Fla. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| Liam Smith | Rockford, Mich. | S6/SB6/SM6 |
| MeiMei White | Orlando, Fla. | S9/SB8/SM9 |