Mission Viejo Nadadores Shut Down Pro Group, Coach Jeff

The Mission Viejo Nadadores are closing their 360 Performance Center, the club's post-graduate and professional training group. Head coach Jeff Julian announced the closure on Thursday, stating his time with the organization has consequently ended.

Julian expressed his gratitude on Instagram. "I cannot express enough what an honor it was to work with the incredible athletes who trusted us with their goals and their careers," he wrote. He said he was proud of what the group built together.

Group's Formation and Notable Swimmers

Jeff Julian moved to lead the new pro group at Mission Viejo in January 2022, leaving his post as head coach of the Rose Bowl Swim Team. The group trained at the Marguerite Aquatic Center. Its roster included several internationally acclaimed swimmers.

Originally, the group featured four-time World Championship medalist Justin Ress and two-time World Championship medalist Hali Flickinger. It also included World Championship open water swimmer David Heron, former WSU Cougar Taylor McCoy, and Trenton Julian.

Competitive Achievements

Justin Ress joined the Mission Viejo group in early 2022 and promptly won gold in the men's 50-meter backstroke and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2022 World Championships. He followed this with a silver medal in the 50 back and a bronze in the 4x100 free relay at the 2023 Worlds.

Most recently, Isabelle Odgers and Brazilian Nathalia Almeida represented Mission Viejo at the U.S. National Championships in Irvine. Odgers achieved the club's top finish there, placing 28th in the women's 200-meter breaststroke.

International Roster

The pro group's composition was notably international. The roster included swimmers from various countries, as detailed below.

Gadson competed at the Commonwealth Games this past summer. Both Mitchell and Morales were in action at the Central American and Caribbean Games.

Canadian Olympic gold medalist Penny Oleksiak also moved to Mission Viejo to train under Julian in 2023. She was slated to represent the club through May 2025. Other notable names who spent time with the group include American Sean Grieshop and Philippines' Kayla Sanchez.

The source, SwimSwam, reports it has reached out to the Mission Viejo Nadadores for the reasoning behind the decision to close the pro group.