Tribute to Distance Swimmers


The highest distinction for a Masters long distance swimmer is to be named to the USMS Long Distance All-Star Team. To be considered for this honor, swimmers must participate in at least three of the eleven National Long Distance Championship events, including at least one open water and one ePostal event.  Points are tabulated for placement in each event, much like our scoring in the Oregon Open Water Series. The top point-scorer in the nation in each age group—and only one from each age group— is named to the All-Star Team.


Jayna Tomac

Jayna Tomac

Jayna Tomac (Central Oregon Masters Aquatics, Womens 40-44 age group) joins the All-Star team for the first time. Jayna was truly dominant in her age group, winning three open water and all five postal championships. In other words, everything in sight. What a year!

Hardy Lussier

Hardy Lussier

Hardy Lussier (Central Oregon Masters Aquatics, Mens 50-54 age group) joins the All-Star team for the third time. Moving up an age group in the middle of the summer, Hardy won the 2-mile cable, 5-km postal, 10- km postal, and 6000-yd postal championships.

Arlene Delmage

Arlene Delmage

Arlene Delmage (Central Oregon Masters Aquatics, Womens 50-54 age group) also joins the All-Star team for the second time.  Arlene took a little time away from her outstanding butterfly career in the pool to win the 2-mile cable and 10-km postal championships, and placed high in every postal swim.

Bob Bruce

Bob Bruce

Bob Bruce (Central Or- egon Masters Aquatics, Mens 65-69 age group) joins the All- Star team for the sixth time, practicing what he preaches as OMS Long Distance Chair. Bob swam in nine of the eleven championship races in 2015, winning the 10-km open water and placing strongly in seven other championship events.

Matt Miller

Matt Miller

Matt Miller (Rogue Valley Masters, Mens 35-39 age group) has been named to the All-Star team for the fourth consecutive year.  Despite a bad bike accident in 2014, Matt appears to have healed well and won the national 5-km postal and 10-km postal championships and placed well in his other postal and open water efforts.

Christian Tujo

Christian Tujo

Christian Tujo (Central Oregon Masters Aquatics, Mens 40-44 age group) joins the All-Star team for the second straight year.  Chris repeated by winning the 2-mile cable swim championship, and he scored lots of points in the postals.

Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr

Ralph Mohr (Central Oregon Masters, Mens 70-74 age group) has been named to the All-Star team for the fourth time, again leading by example. Ralph won the National 2-mile cable title and scored lots of points by placing very high in all five postal championships.  Ralph is the very active leader of the COMA coastal training group, and his swimmers are among the most active postal participants in the nation.

Dave Radcliff

Dave Radcliff

Dave Radcliff (Tualatin Hills Barracudas, Mens 80-84 age group) joins the All-Star team for the fifth time, fourth time consecutively.  Dave won every USMS national champi- onship event that he entered this year, including two open water and all five postal championships.  Dave set the national record in the 10-km postal, and now owns all seven (five postal & two cable) USMS long distance records in his age group.

What does it take to become a USMS Long Distance All-Star?  Obviously, a swimmer has to be pretty good at what they do. But, beyond that, they also have to show up for National Championship events. We have been fortunate in Oregon to have National Championship open water events locally almost every year, thanks to assertive bidding by a few of our Oregon teams.

All of our All-Stars last year raced locally, and many travelled out-of-state for other championship events.  AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR 2015 USMS ALL-STARS SWAM IN ALL FIVE POSTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE WITHOUT TOO MUCH TRAVEL. REPEAT—EVERY ALL-STAR SWAM ALL FIVE POSTALS!  If you want to succeed, you gotta show up!

These eight swimmers are now listed among a distinguished group of twenty Oregonians who have been named to the USMS Long Distance All-Star Team, an elite list of swimmers that includes Steve Johnson (2001, 2004, 2005, & 2008), Mary Sweat (2003, 2005, 2006, & 2008), Tom Landis (2008 & 2012), Lavelle Stoinoff (1995), Pam Himstreet (2001), Sara Quan (2001), Gina Dhom (2002), Ray Allen (2004), Doug Asbury (2007), Jackie Parker (2008), Bonnie Edwards (2015), and Peggy Whiter (2015).  Congratulations to all our All-Stars for their outstanding achievement!

Good luck and good swimming!

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