2019 Club Excellence Results Announced
Nation’s Capital Swim Club Claims No. 1 Spot in USA Swimming Club Excellence Rankings for Fifth Straight Year
Gold, Silver, Bronze recognition awarded to 200 clubs for performance excellence
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Washington, D.C.-area’s Nation’s Capital Swim Club has claimed the No. 1 spot in the USA Swimming Club Excellence program for the fifth consecutive year. On an annual basis, the Club Excellence program recognizes USA Swimming’s highest-performing clubs in the development of athletes ages 18 years and younger.
Nation’s Capital Swim Club (NCAP), posted 72,975 points to outdistance runner-up SwimMAC Carolina by more than 13,000 points. NCAP’s top junior performers include National Team members Phoebe Bacon and Chase Travis, as well as National Junior Team members Cassidy Bayer and Brooke Travis.
SwimAtlanta, Irvine Novaquatics and Sandpipers of Nevada round out the top five for 2019.
“USA Swimming is fortunate to have tremendous athletes and coaches doing incredible work at the club level from coast to coast. The clubs who have earned Gold, Silver or Bronze honors represent the best of the best, and they are laying the groundwork for the future success of USA Swimming at the international level,” said USA Swimming Managing Director of Sport Development Joel Shinofield. “We are excited and honored to again distribute $400,000 in grants to the top 100-ranked clubs in 2019.”
Now in its 18th year, the Club Excellence program identifies clubs that execute strong, well-rounded programs to produce elite 18-and-under athletes. The top-20 clubs earn gold level ranking and those rated 21-100 are designated as silver honorees. The next 100 clubs are recognized at the bronze level.
Each team’s ranking score is based on the FINA Points Table, a power point rating system that assigns point values to individual swimming performances based on the Gold, Silver or Bronze time standard. Starting with the 2017 Club Excellence rankings, gold swims were multiplied by a factor of 2.0; points for silver-level swims were increased by a factor of 1.5. Open water swimmers are eligible to score points based on their finishes at the 2018 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships and Junior National Championships.
The following clubs achieved the Gold Medal ranking for 2019. Fifteen different USA Swimming Local Swimming Committees (LSC) are represented at the Gold Medal level.
Rank Club (LSC), Points
1. Nation's Capital Swim Club (PV), 72,975
2. SwimMAC Carolina (NC), 59,332
3. SwimAtlanta (GA), 41,722
4. Irvine Novaquatics (CA), 40,471
5. Sandpipers of Nevada (CA), 39,503
6. Carmel Swim Club (IN), 35,235
7. Dynamo Swim Club (GA), 34,052
8. Mason Manta Rays (OH), 34,043
9. Virginia Gators (VA), 28,777
10. Fort Collins Area Swim Team (CO), 26,785
11. Marlins of Raleigh (NC), 25,712
12. Nashville Aquatic Club (SE), 24,619
13. Pleasanton Seahawks (PC), 24,543
14. Austin Swim Club (ST), 23,965
15. Lakeside Swim Team (KY), 22,991
16. Long Island Aquatic Club (MR), 22,580
17. Magnolia Aquatic Club (GU), 22,302
18. Dayton Raiders (OH), 21,719
19. Aquajets Swim Team (MN), 20,457
20. BREA Aquatics (CA), 20,048
Click here to view the complete 2019 Club Excellence Program results.
BREA Aquatics achieved a Gold Medal ranking for the first time. Since the inception of this program, 84 different clubs have earned Gold Medal ranking at least once.
Out of the 200 clubs recognized as gold, silver and bronze programs, Southern California Swimming led all LSCs with 13 clubs recognized, followed by the Middle Atlantic and Illinois LSCs with 12 clubs each.
In addition to recognizing high-performing teams, the program provides grant funding that enables clubs to expand and enhance the services already provided to athletes. A total of $400,000 in grants will be distributed to the 100 gold- and silver-level clubs.
In conjunction with the USA Swimming Club Excellence program, USA Swimming will honor three clubs as a 2019 Podium Club. Each team achieving a Gold Medal ranking for four consecutive years will be named to the Podium Club. In addition to earning gold grant dollars, Podium Club members will receive a financial bonus from a pool of dollars to be divided equally among the number of teams in the Podium Club each year.
Congratulations to the following three clubs recognized as a Podium Club for 2019:
- Carmel Swim Club
- Nation’s Capital Swim Club
- Sandpipers of Nevada
For more information about the Club Excellence program visit www.usaswimming.org/clubexcellence.
Keep up with all the latest USA Swimming news by following @usaswimming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.