Olympians Head to Atlanta as 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series Resumes

A talented mix of Olympic champions and standout age-group swimmers are slated to compete at the TYR Pro Swim Series at Atlanta, set for March 1-4 at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center.

The four-day meet opens Thursday, March 1 and continues through Sunday, March 4. Thursday through Saturday, daily prelims open at 10 a.m. ET followed by finals at 7 p.m. The meet concludes Sunday with timed finals for the 1500-meter freestyle at 8 a.m. ET. Single- and all-session tickets are on sale now online.

Headlining the Team USA Olympians expected to swim are 2016 individual medalists Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash./California Aquatics), Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill./Trojan Swim Club), Chase Kalisz (Bel Air, Md./Athens Bulldog Swim Club), Cody Miller (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada), Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Fla./California Aquatics), Josh Prenot (Santa Maria, Calif./California Aquatics) and Leah Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics).

Approximately 30 members of the USA Swimming National Team are expected to compete.

Locally, Kalisz will be joined by several of his Athens Bulldog Swim Club teammates, swimmers from Georgia Tech, as well as age-groupers from Dynamo Swim Club and SwimAtlanta, who also will also be represented by three-time Olympian Amanda Weir (Lawrenceville, Ga./SwimAtlanta).

Among the international standouts expected to swim in Atlanta are current world-record holders Sarah Sjöström of Sweden and Federica Pellegrini of Italy.

Live television coverage will air on NBC Sports Network – also streamed via NBC Sports – for Friday and Saturday finals at 7 p.m. ET. A live webcast of daily prelims and Thursday finals will be available at usaswimming.org.

This meet marks the second of six stops of the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series. Following last month’s opener in Austin, Texas, Kalisz and Zane Grothe (Boulder City, Nev./Mission Viejo Nadadores) lead the men’s series standings with 16 points each. China’s Li Bingjie tops the women’s standings with 15 points.

Also continuing in Atlanta is USA Swim Squads, a new feature for 2018 that allows USA Swimming National Team members to compete for team points and a grand prize throughout this year’s events. Four teams, captained by Olympic legends Natalie Coughlin, Lenny Krayzelburg, Jason Lezak and Kaitlin Sandeno, will feature six active athletes designated across six event categories (one athlete per team per category) who are eligible to score points in a maximum of two events from that category – free, back, breast, fly, IM or flex. Team Krayzelburg leads the way with 107 points after the first meet.

In the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series, swimmers may earn awards for top-three finishes in all individual Olympic events. At each meet, $1,000 will be provided for a first-place finish, $600 for second and $200 for third. Participants will be awarded points in each individual Olympic event throughout the duration of the series (Five points for first, three for second, one point for third place).

At 2018 Phillips 66 Nationals, the point totals will double to 10 points for first place, six for second and two points for third place. The final series tally will be computed after the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships, slated for July 25-29 in Irvine, California, and the prizes will be awarded at that time.

The top eligible male and female overall point total winners in the series will earn a one-year lease of a BMW vehicle, as well as a $10,000 series bonus.