Ryan Lochte and Natalie Coughlin Headline 2010 Santa Clara Grand Prix Swim Meet

USA Olympic Swimmers, including Olympic gold medalists Natalie Coughlin and Ryan Lochte, will compete at the 2010 Santa Clara International Grand Prix Swim Meet, June 17-20 in Santa Clara, Calif. The meet is the second-to-last stop of the eight-meet USA Swimming 2010 Grand Prix Swim Meet Series.

The strong field of swimmers expected to compete in Santa Clara includes Olympians and USA National Teamers:

• Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas)
• Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash.)
• Julia Smit (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.)
• Christine Magnuson (Tinley Park, Ill.)
• Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.)
• Megan Jendrick (Tacoma, Wash.)
• Elizabeth Beisel (Saunderstown, R.I.)
• Ricky Berens (Charlotte, N.C.)
• Dagny Knutson (Minot, N.D.)
• Kasey Carlson (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
• Lara Jackson (Tucson, Ariz.)
• Kevin Swander (Carmel, Ind.)

The competition will follow the traditional meet schedule of morning prelims and evening finals. The full competition schedule can be found online. Finals begin at 4 p.m. PT on Thursday and at 5 p.m. PT, Friday through Sunday. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. PT, Friday through Sunday.

The top medal-winner at the conclusion of the 2010 Grand Prix Swim Meet Series will be awarded $20,000, courtesy of USA Swimming. Swimmers are awarded five points for a gold medal, three points for a silver medal and one point for a bronze medal.

The 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 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships (3-7 Aug) and the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships (18-22 Aug), both of which will take place in Irvine, Calif. The remaining stop in the Grand Prix series is Los Angeles (8-11 Jul).