COLORADO SPRINGS, CO- On Monday, July 10th, Baylor School / Baylor Swim Club athlete Drew Hitchcock was named to USA Swimming’s 2023 World Aquatics Junior Championship team. The competition will be held September 4-8 at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel. This is the premier swimming competition for 18 & Under swimmers from all over the world. Athletes were selected for this team based on results from the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships. Athletes qualifying for World Juniors must be between the age of 14 and 18 on December 31, 2023. This event marks the first time Israel will host a World Aquatics Junior Championships. More than 600 athletes and 100 national federations are expected to compete at this event.
Hitchcock was selected based on his performances in both the 200-meter butterfly and the 400-meter IM at the 2023 USA Swimming Phillips 66 National Championships. While at the National Championships in late June, Hitchcock blasted a time of 4:20.91 in the 400-meter IM to capture a 2024 Olympic Trials qualifying time. It was also a new team record in the 400-meter IM which was previously held by Sam McHugh ’14 set back in 2016. His swim also earned him a place in the B-Final in the event to eventually take 14th overall. He was also the second fastest 18 & Under swimmer in the event. Hitchcock earned his first 2024 Olympic Trials cut in the 200-meter butterfly dropping a time of 1:59.13 in preliminaries. He then competed in the C-Final to take 20th overall and race to a time of 1:58.83 in the event.
The Baylor Swim Club has a long history of sending athletes to the World Junior Championships. In 2022, Josean Massucco ’23 represented Puerto Rico with the competition being held in Lima, Peru. Trey Freeman ’18 represented Team USA at the 2016 FINA World Junior Championships in Indianapolis, IN. In 2011, Baylor Swimming was well-represented at the World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru. Kristen Vredeveld ’13 represented Team USA while four more Baylor students competed for their countries. They included Bermuda’s Ashley Yearwood ’12, Trinidad’s Kimberlee John-Williams ’13, the Bahamas’ Bria Deveaux ’12, and the Bahamas’ Evante Gibson ’11.
See the complete team roster and info about the event at the links below.
