USA Swimming National Team to Square off Against Pac-12 Conference Stars in USA College Challenge
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Members of the USA Swimming National Team will square off against collegiate swimming stars from the Pac-12 Conference in the second edition of the USA College Challenge, USA Swimming announced today.
The short-course yards dual meet is slated for Oct. 21-22 at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The Saturday, Oct. 21 session will begin at 6 p.m.Pacific, followed by the Sunday, Oct. 22 session at 11 a.m.
Single-day and all-session tickets are on sale now at usaswimming.org.
“We received tremendous feedback from the athletes who participated in last year’s USA College Challenge, and we’re looking forward to an even bigger and better event next month,” said USA Swimming National Team Director Frank Busch. “Collegiate swimming is key for the continued success of USA Swimming on the international level, and this event will again showcase the best college and National Team athletes our sport has to offer.”
“The Pac-12 is excited to embrace the opportunity to partner with USA Swimming on initiatives that elevate the profile of the sport nationally and highlight the close relationship that college athletics has to Olympic success,” said Gloria Nevarez, Pac-12 Senior Associate Commissioner/Senior Woman Administrator.
“The collegiate swimming experience was key to my success with the National Team, and the USA College Challenge is a fantastic competitive platform for athletes at all levels,” said Lindsay Mintenko, former USC All-American, two-time Olympian and USA Swimming’s Managing Director, National Team. “The team format will make for an exciting early season meet for athletes and spectators.”
Pac-12 Networks will provide exclusive broadcast coverage of the event. Specific channel and broadcaster information for the Saturday, Oct. 21 session will be announced at a later date, while theSunday, Oct. 22 session will air live nationally on Pac-12 Network as well as on Pac-12 Arizona and Pac-12 Los Angeles. Both sessions will also be available to stream live for authenticated Pac-12 Networks subscribers via the Pac-12 Now app and Pac-12.com.
In a similar format to the successful Duel in the Pool events, a running score will be kept throughout the dual meet competition combining the points earned by both women and men. With 269 points available in 31 total events, the first team to 134.5 points will be the winner.
In last year’s USA College Challenge, the USA Swimming National Team defeated the Big Ten Conference All-Stars in Indianapolis.
For individual events, each team will be permitted to enter up to four athletes. The top three athletes in each individual event will be permitted to score points for their team – 5 points for first place, 3 points for second and 1 point for third. Relay scoring is 7 points for a first-place finish and 0 points for second.
Each athlete may be entered in up to six events during the meet, including individual events and relays.
Current student-athletes at Pac-12 institutions who are members of the USA Swimming National Team will represent the Pac-12 Conference at the meet. Pac-12 alumni will represent the National Team. Rosters for the USA College Challenge will be announced in the near future.
The Pac-12 Conference produced a number of individual gold medalists for Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games, including Maya DiRado, Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel of Stanford; and Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin and Ryan Murphy of Cal. In total, 17 members of the U.S. roster were products of Pac-12 programs.
Stanford swept the men’s and women’s 2017 Pac-12 Conference Championships. At the NCAA Championships, Stanford won the women’s national tile, while Cal was runner-up on the men’s side.
About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.
About the Pac-12 Conference
The Conference has a tradition as the “Conference of Champions,” leading the nation in NCAA Championships in 51 of the last 57 years, with 501 NCAA team titles overall. The Conference comprises 12 leading U.S. universities. The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Washington and Washington State University. For more information on the Conference’s programs, member institutions, and Commissioner Larry Scott, go to www.pac-12.com/conference.
About Pac-12 Networks
Pac-12 Networks is the innovative TV and multimedia company of the Pac-12 Conference and is the first such company to be wholly owned by 12 universities. Pac-12 Networks incorporates one national and six regional television networks, plus extensive digital content accessible through social media, university websites and Pac-12 Now, its TV Everywhere service. Each year, Pac-12 Networks offers live coverage of 850 sporting events, making it one of the top live sports producers in the country. In addition, Pac-12 Networks creates extensive original programming, provides visibility for marquee football and basketball events as well as traditionally under-served women’s and Olympic sports. Pac-12 Networks also provides training and paid internships for thousands of students of the Pac-12’s member universities, preparing them for careers in media. With headquarters in San Francisco’s SOMA District, Pac-12 Networks draws on the creative, entrepreneurial and technological culture of the Bay Area and nearby Silicon Valley. For more information, go to www.Pac-12.com.
#USAvsPac12