ARENA GRAND PRIX AT MESA
When: Thursday-Saturday. Where: Skyline Aquatics Center, 845 S. Crismon Road, Mesa. TV: Universal Sports Network (ThursdayFriday). Prize money: $25,000. Times: 9 a.m. preliminaries, 5 p.m. finals. Cost: $5 per session preliminaries, $10 finals; $40 all-session pass; $5 parking.
Information: mesagrandprix.com. at least $300,000 annually in direct economic impact from 300 or more elite swimmers. The meet could double in size as the Rio Olympics draws closer.
You need look no farther than the opening event Thursday to know that the Grand Prix is swimming on a grand scale. The women’s 100-meter freestyle will include Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy, Natalie Coughlin and Dana Vollmer, and the men’s 100 free features Nathan Adrian, Matt Grevers, Darian Townsend, Ryan Lochte and Anthony Ervin.
Lochte and Franklin, who each won five medals at the London Olympics, will compete in six events apiece at the Grand Prix. They are the Grand Prix overall points leaders after the first half of the six-meet series. Franklin, about to graduate from high school, will start her college career at California in the fall.
Grevers, of Tucson, is delaying his honeymoon to swim in Mesa. He is a six-time Olympic medalist including gold in the100 backstroke in London.
Some collegiate swimmers will make their long-course debuts here, including Breeja Larson of Mesa, a relay gold medalist in London. Larson repeated as NCAA 100yard breaststroke champion last month and was Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Year as a junior at Texas A&M.
Larson cautions against expecting too much from her at her hometown meet. “A lot of people outside the swim world think every time you’re going to swim incredible,” she said.
“Not this time. We’re building back up. My entire stroke changes (for long course). It takes a mental gear shift.”
The goal is to be ready for the Phillips 66 Nationals, June 25-29 in Indianapolis, where Americans will qualify for the world championships, July 16-Aug. 5 in Barcelona.