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. A leaderboard can be found online at www.usaswimming.org. Race footage from the meet will also be broadcast online on www.swimnetwork.com.
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.
Tickets for the 2009 Minnesota Grand Prix of Swimming are $10 per session. An all-session pass is available for $50. Tickets can be purchased at the door. The complete competition schedule can be found online here. Finals start at 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday and at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. on all days.
