Quick answer
The latest official Summer Junior Nationals cuts are the 2026 Speedo Junior National Championships standards. Girls needed 22.99 in the 50 Free SCY (26.59 LCM). Boys needed 20.39 SCY (23.79 LCM). The 2027 meet is August 2 to 6, 2027, in Huntsville, Alabama. As of September 22, 2026, USA Swimming has not posted the 2027 cuts yet. Full 2026 tables for both courses are below.
Summer Juniors is the top long course meet in the US for swimmers 18 and under. The 2026 edition finished in Irvine on August 7. Now families are asking the next question: what does my swimmer need for next summer?
The honest answer today: the newest official numbers are the 2026 cuts. This page gives all of them, for girls and boys, SCY and LCM. That includes the 50s of stroke, bonus cuts and relays. It also shows how little the cuts moved from 2025 to 2026, which is the best guide to what 2027 will ask for. Every number was checked line by line against the official USA Swimming 2026 PDF.
See every 2026 Junior Nationals result in Gophin. All times, heats and finals from Irvine are in Gophin, next to each swimmer's history: open the 2026 Speedo Junior National Championships. If you are not signed in, Gophin asks you to sign in (free) and takes you straight to the meet. For the champions and highlights, see Speedo Junior Nationals 2026: what to know.
Summer Junior Nationals at a glance
| 2026 (done) | 2027 (next) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meet | Speedo Junior National Championships | Speedo Junior National Championships |
| Dates | August 3 to 7, 2026 | August 2 to 6, 2027 |
| Place | William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center, Irvine, CA | Huntsville, AL |
| Course | Long course metres (LCM) | Long course metres (LCM) |
| Qualifying window | June 1, 2025 to the July 28, 2026 entry deadline | Not published yet |
| Cuts | Published (tables below) | Not published yet |
Sources: 2026 time standards (PDF), 2026 meet information (PDF), USA Swimming events calendar.
When USA Swimming posts the 2027 sheet, it will show up on its Time Standards page. We will update this article with it.
Girls: 2026 Junior Nationals cuts
| Event | SCY (yards) | LCM (metres) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 Free | 22.99 | 26.59 |
| 100 Free | 49.99 | 57.69 |
| 200 Free | 1:48.19 | 2:04.99 |
| 500 Free (SCY) / 400 Free (LCM) | 4:49.99 | 4:23.59 |
| 1000 Free (SCY) / 800 Free (LCM) | 10:04.69 | 9:06.79 |
| 1650 Free (SCY) / 1500 Free (LCM) | 16:50.99 | 17:26.79 |
| 50 Back | 25.19 | 29.79 |
| 100 Back | 54.39 | 1:04.29 |
| 200 Back | 1:58.19 | 2:19.29 |
| 50 Breast | 28.79 | 33.69 |
| 100 Breast | 1:02.39 | 1:13.29 |
| 200 Breast | 2:15.39 | 2:38.59 |
| 50 Fly | 24.69 | 28.39 |
| 100 Fly | 54.09 | 1:02.49 |
| 200 Fly | 2:00.49 | 2:18.39 |
| 200 IM | 2:01.09 | 2:21.29 |
| 400 IM | 4:18.79 | 5:00.29 |
Source: USA Swimming, 2026 Speedo Junior National Championships time standards.
Boys: 2026 Junior Nationals cuts
| Event | SCY (yards) | LCM (metres) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 Free | 20.39 | 23.79 |
| 100 Free | 44.39 | 51.99 |
| 200 Free | 1:37.59 | 1:54.09 |
| 500 Free (SCY) / 400 Free (LCM) | 4:25.59 | 4:02.19 |
| 1000 Free (SCY) / 800 Free (LCM) | 9:13.19 | 8:23.09 |
| 1650 Free (SCY) / 1500 Free (LCM) | 15:31.39 | 16:05.09 |
| 50 Back | 22.49 | 26.69 |
| 100 Back | 48.59 | 58.19 |
| 200 Back | 1:46.49 | 2:06.99 |
| 50 Breast | 25.29 | 29.59 |
| 100 Breast | 54.99 | 1:05.09 |
| 200 Breast | 2:00.39 | 2:22.39 |
| 50 Fly | 21.99 | 25.39 |
| 100 Fly | 48.19 | 55.89 |
| 200 Fly | 1:47.89 | 2:05.09 |
| 200 IM | 1:48.49 | 2:07.99 |
| 400 IM | 3:52.69 | 4:33.09 |
Source: USA Swimming, 2026 Speedo Junior National Championships time standards.
50s of stroke: a swimmer could enter the 50 Back, 50 Breast or 50 Fly with the 50 cut or with the matching 100 cut. Swimmers who got in through the 100 were seeded after the 50 qualifiers.
Bonus cuts (2026)
In 2026, any swimmer with a cut in at least one individual event could add up to two bonus events with these slower times. There was a limit of three individual events per day, bonus events and time trials included.
Girls, bonus
| Event | SCY | LCM |
|---|---|---|
| 50 Free | 23.89 | 27.39 |
| 100 Free | 51.89 | 59.29 |
| 200 Free | 1:52.29 | 2:07.79 |
| 500 / 400 Free | 5:02.59 | 4:28.79 |
| 1000 / 800 Free | 10:20.49 | 9:13.79 |
| 1650 / 1500 Free | 17:14.39 | 17:40.19 |
| 50 Back | 26.29 | 30.89 |
| 100 Back | 57.09 | 1:06.79 |
| 200 Back | 2:04.19 | 2:23.99 |
| 50 Breast | 29.79 | 34.79 |
| 100 Breast | 1:05.49 | 1:15.99 |
| 200 Breast | 2:22.69 | 2:43.39 |
| 50 Fly | 25.69 | 29.49 |
| 100 Fly | 56.59 | 1:04.69 |
| 200 Fly | 2:05.39 | 2:21.89 |
| 200 IM | 2:06.39 | 2:26.19 |
| 400 IM | 4:30.69 | 5:07.29 |
Boys, bonus
| Event | SCY | LCM |
|---|---|---|
| 50 Free | 21.29 | 24.59 |
| 100 Free | 46.39 | 53.59 |
| 200 Free | 1:41.59 | 1:57.79 |
| 500 / 400 Free | 4:37.09 | 4:09.99 |
| 1000 / 800 Free | 9:34.29 | 8:40.69 |
| 1650 / 1500 Free | 16:05.49 | 16:38.99 |
| 50 Back | 23.69 | 27.89 |
| 100 Back | 51.49 | 1:00.59 |
| 200 Back | 1:52.79 | 2:11.89 |
| 50 Breast | 26.29 | 30.89 |
| 100 Breast | 57.99 | 1:08.19 |
| 200 Breast | 2:07.99 | 2:29.09 |
| 50 Fly | 22.89 | 26.29 |
| 100 Fly | 50.59 | 57.99 |
| 200 Fly | 1:53.69 | 2:10.19 |
| 200 IM | 1:53.89 | 2:12.79 |
| 400 IM | 4:06.99 | 4:42.39 |
Source: USA Swimming, 2026 Speedo Junior National Championships bonus standards (page 2 of the PDF).
Relay cuts (2026)
| Relay | Girls SCY | Girls LCM | Boys SCY | Boys LCM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4x100 Free | 3:25.49 | 3:55.69 | 3:03.99 | 3:33.59 |
| 4x200 Free | 7:28.29 | 8:29.99 | 6:45.49 | 7:47.69 |
| 4x100 Medley | 3:45.59 | 4:21.49 | 3:21.39 | 3:56.29 |
The 4x50 relays used the matching 4x100 time. A club could enter an A and a B relay, but that took eight different swimmers. Relay-only swimmers were not allowed.
See the gap for your swimmer
Comparing one event by hand is fine. Doing it for every event in two courses is where parents give up. In Gophin, open Comparisons â Standards and pick the USA Swimming Junior National Championships set. Each event shows your swimmer's best official time next to the cut, with the gap in seconds. It is free.
Compare your swimmer to the Junior Nationals cuts
How much did the cuts change from 2025 to 2026?
Not much, which matters when you plan for 2027. Every LCM cut for girls stayed the same. The SCY cuts tightened by 0.1 to 0.3 seconds in most events. The biggest moves were in boys' distance free.
| Event | 2025 cut | 2026 cut | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys 500 Free SCY | 4:27.09 | 4:25.59 | 1.50 s faster |
| Boys 1650 Free SCY | 15:34.19 | 15:31.39 | 2.80 s faster |
| Boys 200 Free SCY | 1:37.89 | 1:37.59 | 0.30 s faster |
| Boys 400 Free LCM | 4:02.49 | 4:02.19 | 0.30 s faster |
| Girls 1650 Free SCY | 16:51.49 | 16:50.99 | 0.50 s faster |
| Girls 200 Free SCY | 1:48.29 | 1:48.19 | 0.10 s faster |
| Girls 50 and 100 Free (both courses) | unchanged | unchanged | none |
Sources: USA Swimming 2025 and 2026 Junior National time standards. The 2025 sheet had no 50 Back, 50 Breast or 50 Fly cuts. Those events were new on the 2026 sheet.
What this means for 2027: we do not know the 2027 numbers, and we will not guess them. But since the cuts moved by tenths, not seconds, from one year to the next, the 2026 table is a sensible training target until the official 2027 sheet is out. Plan to be a few tenths under it, not right on it.
How a time counts (2026 rules)
- Window: swims from June 1, 2025 through the entry deadline counted for 2026. The 2025 window also started on June 1 of the year before. The 2027 window has not been announced.
- Either course: the meet swims long course, but an SCY swim that meets the SCY column counts too.
- Seeding: LCM entry times were seeded ahead of SCY entry times, then bonus entries after that.
- Late window: a swimmer's first cut made in the few days after the deadline could still be entered as a "new qualifying swim".
- Age: 18 or under on the first day of the meet.
- Finals: A, B, C and D finals of eight swimmers each (the 800 and 1500 Free swim a championship final only).
Summer Juniors vs Winter Juniors
Winter Juniors in December is a short course yards meet with slightly slower cuts, so many swimmers get that cut first. The 2026 Winter Juniors cuts, the bonus rules and the East/West split are in our Winter Junior Nationals 2026 cuts guide. For the meet itself (dates, format, what to watch), see Speedo Junior Nationals 2026: what to know. To see where Juniors sits among Futures, Sectionals and the age group cuts, read the USA Swimming time standards guide.
What to do with this table
- Already under a 2026 cut? Great sign, but the 2027 cut is the one that counts. Keep the time current, because only swims in the 2027 window will count.
- Within half a second? A good long course summer is usually where that gap closes. Pick the meets with the coach.
- Under a bonus cut only? Find the one event closest to a full cut. One full cut opens up to two bonus events.
- SCY swimmer through the spring? The SCY column counts. Short course season is a real shot at the summer meet.
See your swimmer's gap to every Junior Nationals cut
Sources
- USA Swimming. 2026 Speedo Junior National Championships time standards (PDF). Individual, bonus and relay cuts, SCY and LCM, qualifying from June 1, 2025.
- USA Swimming. 2025 Speedo Junior National Championships time standards (PDF). Used for the 2025 vs 2026 comparison.
- USA Swimming. 2026 Speedo Junior National Championships meet information, updated May 14, 2026 (PDF). Dates, entry deadline, bonus, seeding and relay rules.
- USA Swimming. Events calendar. 2027 dates and host city.
- USA Swimming. Time Standards page. Where the 2027 sheet will be posted.
