Some of the nation’s top open water junior swimmers are ready to take the world stage, as the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Junior World Championships are set to take place September 5-8 in Alghero, Italy.

Competition starts on Thursday with the men’s and women’s 10-kilometer, where the U.S. will be represented by Sianna Savarda (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada), Claire Stuhlmacher (Henrico, Va./NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, Inc.), Luke Ellis (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada), and Ryan Erisman (Windermere, Fla. Laker Swim).

Friday’s action will feature both the 5K and 7.5K events. Representing the stars and stripes in the 5K will be Brinkleigh Hansen (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Saint Petersburg Aquatics), Alex Siegel (Garden City, N.Y./Long Island Aquatic Club), Griffin Cagle (Concord, N.C./SwimMAC Carolina), and Nicholas Liberty (Olney, Md./Rockville Montgomery Swim Club), all of whom will be making their international debuts for the U.S.

For the 7.5K, the U.S. will send out Colin Jacobs (Bradenton, Fla./Sarasota Sharks), Daisy Collins (Chapel Hill, N.C./North Carolina Aquatic Club), and Claire Weinstein (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada). Jacobs won the event at the 2024 U.S. Open Water National Championships, which took place in May 2024.

The 3K knockout sprint event is making its competition debut, where athletes will compete in the 1500m, 1000m, and 500m consecutively. In the first race, two heats of athletes will swim a 1500m, with the top 10 finishers from each heat advancing to the next round. After a brief break, the 20 total athletes will race the 1000m across two semifinals heats, vying for a top five position in each heat to advance. Following another brief intermission, the final five swimmers of each semifinal will finish the event by swimming a 500m to decide the medalists. Weinstein and Hansen will swim the women’s 3K knockout sprint, while Erisman and Ellis will represent the American men. 

Rounding out the competition will be the mixed 4x1500-meter relays and 14-16 mixed 4x1500m freestyle relay events, both taking place on September 8. The U.S. swam in both relays at the 2022 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Junior World Championships, winning gold in the 14-16 event and finishing fourth in the open event.

Leading the team in Alghero will be head coach Steve Brown (North Carolina Aquatic Club) and assistant coach Mike Lennon (Long Island Aquatic Club). Competition can be streamed on World Aquatics’ YouTube Channel, while additional information can be found here.