The Ellis Aquatics Swim Club will send 18 athletes to the Adam Szmidt Memorial Pacific Swimming Junior Olympics Championships on Friday, July 20, through Sunday, July 22, in Concord.

The number of swimmers from the local club, compared with eight who went to the winter Junior Olympics in December, shows substantial progress for the 2-year-old Ellis team, which now has 150 members practicing at West High’s Pinkie Phillips Aquatics Center.

“It’s always exciting to see so many young swimmers qualified,” said coach Pat Windschitl. “I know they will all be shattering records by the time they enter high school.”

The 4- to 19-year-old swimmers qualify for Junior Olympics by meeting time standards at USA Swimming events, including about a half-dozen meets the club has attended in the Bay Area since the March Junior Olympics.

Coach Clay Basepayne said it’s the first time Ellis relay teams will compete at the Junior Olympics level.

“It’s a great experience for our high school swimmers as they all go to different high schools,” Basepayne said, “and this will be their first relay experience as a team.”

10-and-under girls

Competing in the 10-and-under girls division, Caitlin O’Neill will swim the 50-, 100-, 200- and 400-meter freestyle events and the 100 breast and 200 IM.

Abigail Figueroa’s events include the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley.

Brianna Do will compete in the 50 freestyle, 100 breast and 200 IM.

Jenika Tanjuakio and Jill Lucero will join them as part of the Ellis 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay teams.

11-12 girls

Kamryn Lucero and Keiana Fountaine will both compete in the 50, 400, 800, and 1,500 free events. Fountaine will also compete in the 50 and 100 butterfly, while Lucero will swim the 100 and 200 free and 200 IM.

Briana Carino and Alex Colina will race in the 200 free and 200 medley relays.

13-14 boys

Nathan Hu will compete in the 100 and 200 breaststroke races and the 100 free.

15-18 girls

Rachel Holmstrom, Amanda Christensen, Cassidy Waters, and Michaela Loomis will compete for the team in the 200 freestyle relay and

200 medley relay.

15-18 boys

Daniel Van Neikerk, Miguel Munoz, Ian Cox, and Bradley McCain will race in the 200 free and 200 medley relays.

McCain will also race in the 50, 100, 200, 500, 800 and 1,500 free events and in the 100 and 200 backstroke. Cox will race in the 50 free, the 100 and 200 backstroke and the 100 and 200 breaststroke.

Western Zone Championships

Swimmers Caitlin O’Neill and Bradley McCain were also were recently selected by Pacific and USA Swimming to represent the Pacific region at the upcoming Western Zone Championship Meet.

Western Zone is one of the largest age-group swim meets in the USA, with 15 states represented. The competition will be held at Grand Junction, Colo., from Aug. 7 to 11.

O’Neill will be the team’s first 10-and-under swimmer to travel to the meet, and McCain is the team’s first male swimmer selected to attend.

• Contact Bob Brownne at 830-4227 or brownne@tracypress.com.