Contact: John Martin (719-866-3603 / jmartin@usaswimming.org)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Olympic champions Missy Franklin (Centennial, Colo.), Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md.), Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) highlight the nearly 50 USA Swimming National Team members expected to compete at the Nov. 12-14 Arena Pro Swim Series at Minneapolis at the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

The long-course meters action begins Thursday, Nov. 12, and continues through Saturday, Nov. 14, with daily prelims at 9 a.m. Central followed by finals at 6 p.m. Central. A complete webcast of the meet will be available at usaswimming.org.

All-session tickets are on sale now online, and single-session tickets will be on sale each competition day at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

Other U.S. Olympic medalists expected to swim in Minneapolis include the likes of Elizabeth Beisel (Saunderstown, R.I.), Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif.), Allison Schmitt (Canton, Mich.) and Nick Thoman (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Additional athletes slated to compete include fellow Olympic medalists Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.) and Caitlin Leverenz (Tucson, Ariz.), who have finished as the top Americans in the series rankings in each of the last two seasons.

On the local front, David Plummer (Oklahoma City, Okla.), who trains in the Minneapolis area and swam collegiately at Minnesota, is also expected to compete, as are nearly 40 swimmers from the host Golden Gophers. In total, more than 600 top U.S. and international swimmers, as well as area age-group standouts, are slated to swim.

The Arena Pro Swim Series at Minneapolis is the first of seven stops 2015-16 Arena Pro Swim Series. As part of USA Swimming’s partnership with swimwear leader Arena, the circuit will feature a record $350,000 in overall prize money. Swimmers may earn awards for top-three finishes in all individual Olympic events across the series. At each meet, $1,000 will be provided for a first-place finish, $600 for second and $200 for third. In addition to the single-event prize money, the overall male and female winners of the season-long Series will earn a $10,000 bonus.

For the third consecutive season, longtime USA Swimming partner BMW will award the grand prize of a one-year lease of a BMW vehicle to the highest-scoring eligible male and female U.S. swimmers.

Male and female overall Arena Pro Swim Series champions will be honored at the conclusion of the 2015-16 series based on the number of points accumulated throughout the seven meets. Participants will be awarded points in each individual Olympic event throughout the duration of the Series (Five points for first, three for second, one point for third place).

About USA Swimming

As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.

#ArenaProSwim