By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers how they felt about the 18-and-under swimmers racing in their own heat even if they were fast enough for the ‘A’ final at U.S. Nationals:
Question: What is your opinion on the junior final at U.S. Nationals?
RESULTS
Fastest eight should always be in the ‘A’ final – 56.5% I like it – head-to-head battle for JPP selection – 36.6% No preference – 6.9%The 2026 U.S. National Championships had a new, interesting wrinkle to it.
It’s become commonplace for there to be an 18-and-under final at national championship meets, providing an opportunity for junior-aged swimmers to get a second swim at a high-level competition where they’re typically competing against swimmers significantly older than them.
We’ve often seen national championship meets used for selection to World Juniors or Junior Pan Pacs, but in the past, it’s based on overall results of the meet and it takes a good amount of digging to figure out who did enough to make the team, with swimmers often competing across the ‘A’, ‘B’ and junior finals.
That changed last week, as USA Swimming set it up so swimmers vying for a spot on the Junior Pan Pac team raced head-to-head in a junior-only final at Nationals, regardless of where they finished in the morning.
It was a bit jarring at first, when, in the opening preliminary of the meet, three junior girls finished in the top eight of the women’s 200 fly, and six of the top 13 were 18-and-unders. As a result, Campbell Stoll made the ‘A’ final as the 14th-fastest swimmer in the prelim due to those six swimmers being slotted into the junior final.
That event was more of an aberration than the norm, as most events during the meet had somewhere between zero and two junior swimmers fast enough to be in the ‘A’ final.
On one hand, it felt strange to see a swimmer like Audrey Derivaux, who would’ve been a contender for the national title in the 200 fly, taken out of what would’ve been an exciting race to see her dominate another field.
On the other, it made the junior finals more exciting. They had more meaning than usual, with Junior Pan Pac selection on the line for the winner, giving it an Olympic Trials-like feel. One has to think that USA Swimming put this in place so these junior swimmers could get a taste of what it feels like to swim in a do-or-die final with selection on the line to prepare them for a similar scenario, like the Olympic Trials, later in their career.
We asked SwimSwam readers what their opinion was on the junior final in our latest poll, and the majority, 56.5%, said they’d prefer to see the top eight swimmers in the ‘A’ final, regardless of if the Junior Pan Pac team was being selected.
Note that junior-aged swimmers were eligible to race the ‘A’ final if they, a) weren’t going for a Junior Pan Pac spot, or b) had already qualified. We saw Pan Pac roster member Rylee Erisman in several ‘A’ finals, and Luka Mijatovic swam the men’s 400 free final (and won) after qualifying for Junior Pan Pacs earlier in the 200 free.
On the other side, 36.6% of voters said they were in favor of the junior final and how it created a single heat showdown for Junior Pan Pac selection, while the remaining 6.9% said they had no preference either way.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: What are you most intrigued by heading into the European Championships:
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
A3 Performance is an independently-owned, performance swimwear company built on a passion for swimming, athletes, and athletic performance. We encourage swimmers to swim better and faster at all ages and levels, from beginners to Olympians. Driven by a genuine leader and devoted staff that are passionate about swimming and service, A3 Performance strives to inspire and enrich the sport of swimming with innovative and impactful products that motivate swimmers to be their very best – an A3 Performer.The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: SwimSwam Pulse: Only 36.6% In Favor of 18 & Unders Swimming Out of ‘A’ Final At U.S. Nationals
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