COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, October 6. THIRTY-seven of the nation's top swimmers, including 2008 Olympic gold medalists Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.), Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif.), Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.) and Rebecca Soni (Plainsboro, N.J.) will travel to Dubai to represent Team USA at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships, December 15-19.
The U.S. roster in Dubai will feature a total of 20 Olympians, including reigning Short Course World Champions Lochte and Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash.). Lochte earned four gold and two silver medals at the last Short Course World Championships in Manchester, England, while Adrian earned two gold and one silver medal.
"I'm looking forward to swimming in Dubai, especially since it will be my first time in the United Arab Emirates," Ryan Lochte said. "We have a really strong U.S. team that will compete at Short Course World Championships and it should be a great meet for the swimmers as well as the fans."
This will be the first trip to the United Arab Emirates for a USA Swimming international team. The head coach for the men's team in Dubai will be the University of Texas skipper Eddie Reese while the women will be led by Cal Berkeley's Teri McKeever. This meet will also mark the first time the U.S. has sent a full roster to a Short Course World Championships since 2004 when the event was held in Indianapolis.
"This team represents one of the most talented USA Swimming squads I've seen," said USA Swimming interim National Team Head Coach Jim Wood. "Our team is a solid mix of new talent and veteran leadership and that is really exciting, both for this meet and as we head toward London in less than two years."
The U.S. team in Dubai will also feature Short Course World Champions Jessica Hardy (Long Beach, Calif.) and Mary DeScenza Mohler (Naperville, Ill.). The meet will be the first Short Course World Championships that Coughlin, Peirsol and Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) have competed in since 2004. A complete roster for the U.S. 2010 Short Course World Championships Team can be found here.
The U.S. swimmers selected to compete at the Short Course World Championships were chosen based upon their performance at the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships and the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, which were both held in Irvine, Calif., this past August.
The event in Dubai will be the 10th FINA Short Course World Championships, and event which has been held every two years since the inaugural Championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain in 1993. This is the first time that the event will be held in the Middle East. The meet will take place at the Dubai Sports Complex, which is a new state-of-the-art aquatics venue.
The official website of the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships can be found here.
2010 U.S. Short Course World Championship Team
Men Hometown/Team
Nathan Adrian Bremerton, Wash. /California Aquatics
Mike Alexandrov Champaign, Ill. / Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics
Ricky Berens Charlotte, N.C. / Longhorn Aquatics
Bobby Bollier Mission Hills, Kan. / FAST Swim Team
Tyler Clary Riverside, Calif. / FAST Swim Team
Mark Gangloff Akron, Ohio / New York Athletic Club
Charlie Houchin Raleigh, N.C. / FAST Swim Team
Adam Klein New Orleans, La. / Auburn University Swim Team
Ryan Lochte Daytona Beach, Fla. / Daytona Beach Swimming
Tyler McGill Champaign, Ill. / Auburn University Swim Team
Aaron Peirsol Irvine, Calif. / Longhorn Aquatics
Tim Phillips Vienna, West Va. / Ohio State University
David Plummer Oklahoma City, Okla. / Minnetonka Swim Club
Sean Ryan Chattanooga, Tenn. / Scenic City Aquatic Club
Josh Schneider Cincinnati, Ohio / SwimMAC Carolina
Eric Shanteau Lilburn, Ga. / Longhorn Aquatics
Peter Vanderkaay Rochester, Mich. / Club Wolverine
David Walters Yorktown, Pa. / Longhorn Aquatics
Garrett Weber-Gale Milwaukee, Wis. / Longhorn Aquatics
Women Hometown/Team
Natalie Coughlin Vallejo, Calif. / California Aquatics
Missy Franklin Centennial, Colo. / Colorado Stars
Jessica Hardy Long Beach, Calif. / Trojan Swim Club
Katie Hoff Towson, Md. / FAST Swim Team
Kara Lynn Joyce Athens, Ga. / FAST Swim Team
Dagny Knutson Minot, N.D. / FAST Swim Team
Ariana Kukors Auburn, Wash. / FAST Swim Team
Micah Lawrence Pflugerville, Texas / Auburn University Swim Team
Christine Magnuson Tinley Park, Ill. Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics
Mary Mohler Naperville, Ill. / FAST Swim Team
Rebecca Soni Plainsboro, N.J. / Trojan Swim Club
Chloe Sutton Mission Viejo, Calif. / Mission Viejo Nadadores
Jasmine Tosky Palo Alto, Calif. / Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics
Kim Vandenberg Moraga, Calif. / New York Athletic Club
Dana Vollmer Granbury, Texas / California Aquatics
Amanda Weir Lawrenceville, Ga. / SwimAtlanta
Madison White Danville, Calif. / Crow Canyon Sharks
Kate Ziegler Great Falls, Va. / FAST Swim Team
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