Olympic Swimmer Rebecca Soni to Compete at 2009 Minnesota Grand Prix Swim Meet

Top U.S. swimmers, including Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Soni and World Championship silver medalist Tyler Clary, will compete today in the first USA Swimming Grand Prix Swim Meet of the 2009-10 season - the Minnesota Grand Prix. The event will take place at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, November 13-15.

In addition to Soni and Clary, the field in Minneapolis will be headlined by U.S. Olympians Kate Ziegler (Great Falls, Va.) and Chloe Sutton (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Bulgarian Olympian Mike Alexandrov. Minnesota native and Paralympic record-holder Mallory Weggemann (Eagan, Minn.) and U.S. National Team members Christine Jennings (Longmont, Colo.) and Ashley Steenvoorden (East Brunswick, N.J.) will also compete in the event.

The meet at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center is the first stop in the eight-meet USA Swimming Grand Prix Series, which awards the overall series winner a $20,000 grand prize.

The USA Swimming Grand Prix Series serves as an opportunity for athletes to race against top-notch competition as they continue their preparation for the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships and the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships which will both be held in Irvine, Calif., next August. Other stops in the Grand Prix series include: Long Beach, Calif.; Columbia, Mo.; Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Los Angeles.