Manta Rays to compete along with Phelps, Lochte, Beard, Torres at Indianapolis Grand Prix, March 29-31

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.), Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.), Amanda Beard (Irvine, Calif.) and Dara Torres (Los Angeles, Calif.) headline the list of those competing at the Indianapolis Grand Prix on March 29-31. The Mason Manta Rays will be represented by Alisabeth Marsteller, Ashley Whitely, Hannah Whitely, and Zoe Thatcher. The Indianapolis Grand Prix is the fifth stop of the 2011-2012 USA Swimming Grand Prix Series and will take place at the Indiana University Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in Indianapolis, Ind.

A large field of U.S. National Teamers will be in Indianapolis as the swimmers continue their training heading into the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials – Swimming in Omaha, Nebraska. These swimmers include Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.), Kathleen Hersey (Atlanta, Ga.), Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.), Jessica Hardy (Long Beach, Calif.), Mark Gangloff (Akron, Ohio), Christine Magnuson (Knoxville, Tenn.), Allison Schmitt (Canton, Mich.), Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash.), Mike Alexandrov (Champaign, Ill.), Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.) and Missy Franklin (Centennial, Colo.).

Other notable swimmers set to compete in Indianapolis include Cullen Jones (New York, N.Y.), Anthony Ervin (Valencia, Calif.) and Ed Moses (Loma Linda, Calif.).

Preliminaries in Indianapolis will start at 8:30 a.m. ET Thursday through Saturday, with finals beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. Visit www.usaswimming.org for a complete schedule of events. Universal Sports will be broadcasting finals on March 30-31 from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. ET. USA Swimming will also provide a live webcast of the event. Single session, all day or all-session passes may be purchased at the door or through the IU Natatorium website online.

In advance of the Indianapolis Grand Prix, USA Swimming will hold a media day at the IUPUI Natatorium on Wednesday, March 28 to provide national and local media interview opportunities with Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. Any members of the media interested in taking part in the media day, please contact someone from USA Swimming’s public relations department.

The meet is the fifth stop of the 2011-2012 USA Swimming Grand Prix Series with the series concluding June 2, 2012 in Santa Clara, Calif. Swimmers are awarded five points for a gold medal, three points for a silver medal and one point for a bronze medal. The top scoring swimmer at the conclusion of the Series will be awarded $20,000. Michael Phelps currently sits atop the standings with Allison Schmitt currently in second. Reigning Grand Prix Series Champion Missy Franklin rounds out the top-three spots. A leaderboard for the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series can be found online at www.usaswimming.org/grandprix.

The USA Swimming Grand Prix Series serves as an opportunity for swimmers to race against some of the best competition in the country as they continue their preparation for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. as well as the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The two remaining stops in the 2011-2012 Grand Prix Series include: Charlotte, N.C. and Santa Clara, Calif.