June 21, 2006

Courtesy USA Swimming

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - A stacked field of 18 American Olympians is scheduled to compete against a strong contingent of international swimmers at the 39^th annual Santa Clara International Meet, June 22-25 in Santa Clara, Calif. The meet is the third stop in the 2006 Grand Prix series.

Individual U.S. Olympic medalists scheduled to compete in the meet include: Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md. / Club Wolverine), Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif. / Cal Aquatics), Erik Vendt (North Easton, Mass. / Club Wolverine), Brendan Hansen (Havertown, Pa. / Longhorn), Megan Jendrick (Puyallup, Wash. / King Aquatics) and Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla. / Florida). Australian Ian Thorpe headlines the list of international stars who plan to swim at Santa Clara.

The Santa Clara International Meet will also serve as reunion for Santa Clara Swim Club alumni. All 46 Olympians from the club will be introduced on Friday night before finals. Additionally, the meet will pay tribute to George F. Haines, Santa Clara Swim Club founder and longtime coach who died on May 1 at age 82.

The 2006 Grand Prix circuit will wrap up with the Janet Evans Invitational (July 13-16, Los Angeles, Calif.), the fifth stop of the series.

Follow the link for more information on each meet in the Grand Prix series: http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=753&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=1862&ItemId=2066.  

Information about the Santa Clara Grand Prix, including the psych sheet and results, will be available at http://www.usaswimming.org/media and at the event website: http://www.santaclaraswimclub.org/Meets/2006International/Main.htm. Media interested in obtaining credentials to cover the event should contact Jaime Benes at jaimebenes@yahoo.com or (408) 246-5050.

FACT SHEET

WHO:  Eighteen U.S. Olympians, including: Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Erik Vendt, Brendan Hansen, Megan Jendrick, Ryan Lochte, Klete Keller, Tara Kirk, Dana Kirk, Jason Lezak, Kara Lynn Joyce, Maritza Correia, Peter Vanderkaay, Kristen Caverly, Gabe Woodward, Allison Wagner, Scott Usher and Mark Gangloff.

Other top international swimmers scheduled to compete include: Australians Ian Thorpe, Shayne Reese, Brent Hayden, Eamon Sullivan, Joanna Fargus; Britain's Simon Burnett; and South Africa's Roland Schoeman and Lyndon Ferns.

Approximately 630 athletes are currently entered in the meet. Follow the link to download the psych sheet and roster of athletes.

WHAT: 39^th annual Santa Clara International Meet, the third of five stops in the 2006 USA Swimming Grand Prix circuit. Follow the link to view the order of events.

WHEN: June 22-25. Timed finals for the women's 800m freestyle and men's 1500m free are on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. Prelims will begin Friday through Sunday at 9 a.m., with finals contested at 5 p.m.

WHERE: George F. Haines International Swim Center; 2625 Patricia Drive; Santa Clara, CA 95051

WHY: The five-stop 2006 Grand Prix circuit serves as a tune-up for the major summer meets, and it is a chance for swimmers to race against top-notch competition.

The top events athletes will be preparing for this summer include:
- ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships (Aug. 1-5, Irvine, Calif.)

            Follow the link to apply for credentials online.

- Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships (Aug. 17-21, Victoria, British Columbia)  

            Follow the link to apply for credentials through the Pan Pacific Organizing Committee website.

About USA Swimming

As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.