GRAND PRIX SERIES RESUMES THIS WEEK IN AUSTIN

 
A deep field of swimming talent, including Olympians Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.), Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.), Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.), and Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) will headline the Austin Grand Prix, Jan. 14-16 at the Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the University of Texas campus.
 
This will be first meet of 2011 for many members of the U.S. National Team, including Lochte, who won six gold medals and set two individual world records at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai in December.
 
Other members of the U.S. National Team expected to compete in Austin include Kate Ziegler (Great Falls, Va.), Garret Weber-Gale (Milwaukee, Wis.), Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif.), Chloe Sutton (Mission Viejo, Calif.), David Walters (Yorktown, Va.) Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.), Eric Shanteau (Lilburn, Ga.), Kathleen Hersey (Atlanta, Ga.), Ricky Berens (Charlotte, N.C.), and Nick Thoman (Cincinnati, Ohio). The current USA Swimming Grand Prix Series leader, Missy Franklin (Centennial, Colo.), will also compete at the meet.
 
The Austin Grand Prix is the second stop in the seven-meet USA Swimming Grand Prix Series. A leader board can be found online at usaswimming.org/grandprix. Swimmers are awarded five points for a gold medal, three points for a silver medal and one point for a bronze medal. The top scoring swimmer at the conclusion of the Series will be awarded $20,000.
 
Race footage from each night of finals will be broadcast by Universal Sports and online at usaswimming.org/webcasts.
 
Tickets for the meet are $12 for final sessions and $6 for prelim sessions and can be purchased at the door. Tickets for students and children are available for $5 per session. The complete competition schedule can be found online. Finals start at 5:30 p.m. CT and prelims begin at 9:30 a.m. CT.
 
The USA Swimming Grand Prix Series serves as an opportunity for swimmers to race against some of the best competition in the country as they continue their preparation for the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China as well as the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships. Other stops in the Grand Prix series include: Columbia, Mo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Santa Clara, Calif.