Sue Chen, Chuck Batchelor Named Team USA Head Coaches for 2020 Junior Pan Pacs

USA Swimming announced Thursday that Nation’s Capital Swim Club’s Sue Chen and Chuck Batchelor of Bluefish Swim Club will lead the delegation to this summer’s Junior Pan Pacs in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Chen’s appointment marks the first time a woman has served as the head coach for an American men’s swimming roster in an international competition. It’s Chen’s first head coaching role for Team USA in international competition after serving as an assistant at the 2011 World Junior Championships.

Chen has coached for more than 20 years and works with former U.S. Olympic coach Bruce Gemmell at NCAP. She has worked with Olympians Jack Conger and Katie Ledecky as well as World Juniors medalist Erin Gemmell and helped create USA Swimming’s Women’s Leadership Programs, aimed at helping develop female coaches.

“I am so thankful for USA Swimming for giving me this opportunity to be the men’s head coach of the Junior Pan Pac team,” Chen said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Chuck as I have known him for years and love what he is doing at Bluefish. Coaching athletes at this level is always inspiring to me. I look forward to getting to know the coaching staff, all the swimmers and to creating something powerful together as a team.”

Batchelor was the head coach for Team USA at the 2015 World Junior Championships. Before Bluefish, he coached at Barracuda Swimming and Peddie Aquatics in his 25-year career, mentoring swimmers like Elizabeth Beisel and Laura Sogar.

“The performances by the National Junior Team-level swimmers, especially in an Olympic year, is going to be so exciting to watch,” Batchelor said. “This year in particular has a lot of developing young female performers who are eager to make an impact. We will no doubt see many of these names again and again on the world stage in the coming years.”

Junior Pan Pacs will take place Aug. 19-22. The roster will be set at U.S. Olympic Trials, with finishers in top 20 from birth years 2002 to 2007 eligible. Team USA collected 54 medals at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacs in Fiji.

“Sue and Chuck have both developed Olympians and know the work that has to be done for the athletes,” said USA Swimming National Junior Team Director Mitch Dalton. “They understand excellence and know what the road looks like and they bring a lot of laughs with their experience. These Junior competitions are important stepping stones and experience builders in a young swimmer’s career and Sue and Chuck’s combined knowledge and bright personality will be such an asset for our team in Hawaii.”

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Thomas A. Small

4 years ago

Congratulations great job

Margaret Donofrio

4 years ago

Great job Chuck Batchelor. Well deserved.