July 30, 2010

TUCSON, Ariz. - University of Arizona swimmers, in town this summer to train for a shot at making Team USA for the Pan Pacific Games later this summer, look to be revved and ready to go for the 2010 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships beginning Aug. 3rd and running through the 7th.

The meet, which will take place at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, is one of the biggest swimming events of the year. The meet will serve as the selection meet for the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, which will take place in Irvine, August 18-22, and will feature top competitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and more than 20 other countries. Both Nationals and the Pan Pacific Championships will also serve as the selection meets for the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China.

To earn a spot on the American team, they'll need to either finish first or second in a particular event or in the top six in the 100 freestyle for a chance on a relay team.

The field in Irvine will be highly competitive,usa with the majority of the 2009-2010 U.S. National Swim Team competing. Olympic veterans Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.) and Wildcat Amanda Beard (Tucson, Ariz.) will both be back in the water as will Olympic medalists Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.), Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.), Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas), Cullen Jones (New Brunswick, N.J.), Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.), Christine Magnuson (Tinley Park, Ill.), Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.) and Garrett Weber-Gale (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Grevers, Beard and Magnuson all train in Tucson at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center with the club team Ford Aquatics.

Several Wildcats will have a great chance at making the team including juniors-to-be Alyssa Anderson, Cory Chitwood as well as postgrads Marcus Titus, Annie Chandler, Clark Burckle and Bryan O'Connor.

The National Championships will follow the traditional meet schedule of morning prelims and evening finals. Finals begin at 6 p.m. PT and prelims begin at 9 a.m. PT. Tickets are available for purchase online at Irvine2010.com and are $15 for a day pass and $10 for a single session pass. An all-session general admission ticket can also be purchased for $60.
 
The competition will be broadcast by NBC in two shows on Aug. 7 and 8. The NBC show on Aug. 7 will air from 4-6 p.m. ET and the show on Aug. 8 will air from 4:30 to 6 p.m. ET. In addition, Universal Sports will broadcast finals LIVE on August 3 (6-8:30 p.m. PT) and 4 (6 - 8 p.m. PT). Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines will serve as the analyst and Arizona alum Dan Hicks will handle the play-by-play duties for the broadcast.

International Swimmers

Several international UA swimmers have been making waves recently.  Junior-to-be Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or won the 50, 100, 200 and 400 freestyle events at the Israeli Summer Nationals while UA postgrad Jake Tapp won both the 50 and 100 backstroke competitions at the Canadian Summer Nats.

Other postgrads active in events this summer have been Jean Basson and Darian Townsend of South Africa, Nicolas Nilo of Brazil and Albert Subirats of Venezuela.