Jan. 30, 2002
Evanston, Ill. - USA Swimming has announced the roster and staff for the 2002 National Junior Team, and Northwestern women's swim coach Jimmy Tierney has been selected to direct the women's side.
The team will consist of 14 athletes chosen based upon their 2001 long-course world rankings. The swimmers cannot have represented the USA in a higher level of international competition before, and they must be younger than 15.
The team will head to Rome to compete in the XXXIX Trophy Seven Hills from May 31-June 7, 2002.
Tierney is in his eighth season as the Wildcats' head coach and his 14th season of involvement with the program. During his tenure at NU, Tierney's teams have placed in the top 15 in the country 10 times, and have never finished lower than fourth in the highly competitive Big Ten Conference. The 2001-02 squad is currently ranked 16th by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.
This will be Tierney's second international coaching assignment. He served as the U.S. assistant for the 1999 World University Games held in Mallorca, Spain. This time around, Tierney will be assisted by Auburn's associate head coach, Kimberly Brackin.
"I am thrilled to be chosen again to lead a group of USA athletes in international competition," said Tierney on his appointment. "The athletes chosen will be some of our future stars and Olympians, so I hope to provide some support and inspiration in their quest to be among the world's best. It is an honor to be selected for this trip."