Mutual of Omaha Dual in the Pool Roster Announced

Thirty-six top American swimmers, including 17 Olympians, will battle against a squad of European swimmers Dec. 18-19 at the 2009 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool in Manchester, England. The event, which will be broadcast on NBC on December 27 from 2-4 p.m. ET, will star Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.), Rebecca Soni (Plainsboro, N.J.), Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.).

The bi-annual Duel in the Pool is a made-for-TV event, designed to showcase the sport’s most exciting swimmers. This year’s Duel takes on a new format with Team USA facing a team comprised of the top swimmers from Great Britain, Germany and Italy. The event will be held at the Manchester Aquatic Center.

Swimmers will be awarded for world-records and wins with world records commanding up to a $15,000 bonus and gold medals commanding $1,000.

In addition to Phelps, Soni, Lochte and Peirsol, the U.S. team will intermix Olympic medalists Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.), Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.), Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) and Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.) with rising stars such as Ariana Kukors (Auburn, Wash.), Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif.), and Dagny Knutson (Minot, N.D.). The men’s head coach for the Duel in the Pool will be Frank Busch while the women will be led by 2008 Women’s Olympic Coach Jack Bauerle.

The U.S. team is comprised of the fastest swimmers selected from four meets in 2009 - the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships, Word University Games, U.S. Open and FINA World Championships. The European Select Team will be comprised of up to 18 men and 18 women from Great Britain, Germany and Italy, with each country sending a team of six men and six women.

The meet format will be short course meters. This is the fourth Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool in the history of USA Swimming. Past Duels were held in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and pit all-star teams from the U.S. and Australia against each other. The U.S. is 3-0 in the history of the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool. For more information about this year’s Duel, visit duelinthepool.com .

Men

Nathan Adrian , California Aquatics, Dave Durden

Mike Alexandrov , Tucson FORD Aquatics, Frank Busch

Jack Brown , Tucson FORD Aquatics, Frank Busch

Tyler Clary , Club Wolverine/University of Michigan, Mike Bottom/ Jon Urbanchek

Mark Gangloff , SwimMAC/Auburn Aquatics, David Marsh/ Brett Hawke

Matt Grevers , Tucson FORD Aquatics, Frank Busch

Michael Klueh , Longhorn Aquatics, Eddie Reese

Chad La Tourette , Mission Viejo/Stanford Swimming, Bill Rose/ Skip Kenney

Ryan Lochte , Gator Swim Club/Daytona Beach, Gregg Troy/Steve Lochte

Sean Mahoney , California Aquatics, Dave Durden

Tyler McGill , Auburn Aquatics/ Auburn University, Brett Hawke

Aaron Peirsol , Longhorn Aquatics, Eddie Reese

Michael Phelps , North Baltimore Aquatic Club, Bob Bowman

Kevin Swander , Club Paradise/Indiana University, Pam Swander

Nick Thoman , SwimMAC, David Marsh

Alex Vanderkaay , Club Wolverine, Mike Bottom/Jon Urbanchek

Peter Vanderkaay , Club Wolverine, Jon Urbanchek

Garrett Weber-Gale , Longhorn Aquatics, Eddie Reese

Women

Elizabeth Beisel , Bluefish Swim Club, Chuck Batchelor

Mary DeScenza Mohler , Athens Bulldogs, Jack Bauerle

Missy Franklin , Colorado Stars, Todd Schmitz

Katy Freeman , Santa Barbara Swim Club, Gregg Wilson

Jessica Hardy , Trojan Swim Club, Dave Salo

Margaret Hoelzer , FAST Swim Team, Sean Hutchison

Katie Hoff , FAST Swim Team, Sean Hutchison

Ariana Kukors , FAST Swim Team, Sean Hutchison

Dagny Knutson , A.S.K. Swim, Kathy Aspaas

Christine Magnuson , Tucson FORD Aquatics, Frank Busch

Amber McDermott , Longhorn Aquatics, Doug Rusk

Hayley McGregory , Longhorn Aquatics, Doug Rusk

Elizabeth Pelton , North Baltimore Aquatic Club, Bob Bowman

Allison Schmitt , University of Georgia/ Club Wolverine, Jack Bauerle

Julia Smit , Stanford Swimming, Lea Maurer

Rebecca Soni , Trojan Swim Club, Dave Salo

Dana Vollmer , California Aquatics, Teri McKeever

Amanda Weir , Swim Atlanta, Chris Davis

From USASwimming.org