If you want to swim in college, it is crucial that you compete on a club team throughout your time in high school and even middle school. Swimming for your high school or local summer league team is helpful as well, but swimming on a club team will help you get the most exposure and will provide you with elite training that is necessary to compete at the collegiate level. Case in point:every single swimmer who competed for the US in the Tokyo Olympics either belonged to a club team, or competed on one before swimming in college. With that in mind, here is a guide to the top swimming clubs that are or have been home to some of the most elite college and Olympic swimmers in the country.
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The following club teams are ranked based off of USA Swimming's Club Excellence Program which recognizes the highest performing clubs annually by using a point system determined by the performance of athletes at competitions.
- TAC Titans
Quick Facts:
- The TAC Titans scored 69,591 points for the 2021-22 season.
- The club practices at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, North Carolina.
- The monthly costs range from $140 to $325 per swimmer, depending on what group you are in. There is also an additional yearly $200 registration fee.
Group Structure:
The Titans are separated into 19 groups based on age, training ability, competitive aspirations, and commitment level. You can move groups, but most require a coaches invitation and/or certain time standards to join.
The lowest group is called “Titans Prep” and it consists of swimmers ages 12 and under who are primarily beginners interested in developing all 4 strokes. They offer 2 practices a week, each lasting 45 minutes.
The highest group is “Olympic Elite”, which consists of swimmers aged 14 and up, working towards getting Olympic trials cuts. Swimmers in this group must have a Junior National cut or several Futures cuts.
TAC also provides a masters swim program for ages 18 and older.
Notable Swimmers
- Claire Curzan-2021 Olympic Swimmer
- Charlotte Hook- Top ranked Age Group Swimmer
- Lance Norris- Top Ranked Age Group Swimmer
Interested in joining TAC Titans? Click here
- Nation's Capital Swim Club (NCAP)
Quick Facts:
- Prior to the 21-22 season, NCAP ranked first in the Club Excellence Program for 7 years in a row.
- Nation's Capital scored 60,376 points for the 2021-22 season.
- They are based out of the greater DC area, and offer 14 practice locations across northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland.
- Prices vary by location, but are typically around $400-$500 for the registration fee and between $3000 and $6000 annually ($200-$600 monthly), depending on the group.
Group Structure:
Groups are slightly different for each location, but most sites offer 5-7 groups. Like most clubs, the criteria to join groups are based on age and skill level. At every location, the groups are separated into 3 levels: bronze, silver, and gold. Each level will have 1 to 3 groups, so for example a location might have a Gold 1, Gold 2, and Gold 3 group.
Gold is the highest group, typically consisting of ages 11 to 18. 1 is the highest level, primarily for older swimmers with the highest skill level. These groups offer 6-8 practices a week and 2 additional drylands. Bronze is the lowest group, for beginner swimmers ages 12 and under.
NCAP also provides swim schools & clinics, for those who want to take the non-competitive route.
Notable Swimmers
- Katie Ledecky- 2012, 2016, 2021 Olympic Swimmer, 7-time Olympic Gold Medalist
- Phoebe Bacon – 2021 Olympic Swimmer, National team member
- Jack Conger- 2016 Olympic Medalist
Interested in joining NCAP? Click here
- SwimMAC Carolina
Quick Facts:
- SwimMAC scored 56,233 points for the 2021-22 season.
- SwimMAC is another club based in North Carolina, with 3 locations across the Charlotte area.
- The registration fee is $190 and depending on which group, the annual costs range from $1500 to $4000 ($200-$400 monthly).
Group Structure:
Each site offers 4 groups: Seniors, Shark, Dolphin, and Marlin.
Marlin is the lowest group, designated for ages 10 and under to help them enter the world of competitive swimming. Dolphin is for ages 11-12, helping these swimmers work towards an advanced level of training. Shark is the next level, for ages 13-14 and Marlin is the highest group for ages 15-18 working on competing at the national level.
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SwimMAC also offers clinics, swim schools, private lessons, and adult programs.
Notable Swimmers:
- Ryan Lochte- 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 Olympic Swimmer, 12 time Olympic medalist
- Kathleen Baker- 2016 Olympic Swimmer, 2 time Olympic medalist
Interested in joining SwimMAC? Click here
- Dynamo Swim Club
Quick Facts:
- Dynamo scored 52,690 points for the 2021-22 season.
- The club is home to over 800 competitive swim team members.
- They are located in Georgia, with 3 locations across the Atlanta area.
- The registration fee is $250, and the monthly fees range from $200-$400 by group.
Group Structure:
Each site offers 12 groups, including 2 groups designated for homeschoolers to work around their unique schedule. The lowest groups are Homeschool Green and Age Group 3 Green, consisting of ages 7-11 dedicated to working on stroke technique. The highest group is Senior 1, primarily for those working towards competing at national and international meets.
Dynamo also offers a masters program and swim school.
Notable Swimmers:
- Gunnar Bentz, 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2021 Olympian
- Jay Litherland, 2021 Olympic Silver Medalist
Interested in joining Dynamo? Click here
- Carmel Swim Club
Quick Facts:
- Carmel scored 47,162 points for the 2021-22 season.
- This team is located in Indiana, practicing at the Carmel High School Natatorium.
- They have a registration fee of $83 and monthly fees ranging from $100 – $200 (annually $1000 – $2000).
Group Structure:
Carmel consists of 13 groups, allowing swimmers at any skill level to join the team. Discovery 2 is the lowest group, focusing on teaching younger ages how to properly swim all 4 strokes. Swimmers only need to know how to swim freestyle and backstroke to join. The highest group is High Performance for those with the skills to train at an elite level.
Notable Swimmers:
- Drew Kibler, 2021 Olympic Swimmer
- Jake Mitchell, 2021 Olympic Swimmer
Interested in joining Carmel Swim Club? Click here
So is joining a club team worth it? If you want to compete in college, then the answer is yes. Combined, these teams produce the most elite swimmers in the country with many of them moving on to compete at the D1 level in college, which is quite challenging to do. A large chunk of the athletes who competed at the Olympic trials this year came from these teams, which is another big accomplishment, since trials is essentially the highest level meet (besides the actual Olympics) for most swimmers.
With the younger generation of swimmers only getting faster by the day, it will certainly be interesting to see the club rankings for next year. Will you be a part of the action?
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* Originally published on July 7, 2022, by Sammie Grant
