Indianapolis Welcomes 2017 FINA World Junior Championships In One Week

With 42 rising stars set to represent the United States on their home soil, the 2017 FINA World Junior Championships, presented by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., open in just one week in Indianapolis.

Hosted by USA Swimming and United States Aquatic Sports, the event will be held at the iconic Indiana University Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI from Aug. 23-28 with daily prelims at 9:30 a.m. Eastern and semifinals and finals at 6 p.m.

All-session, single-day and single-session tickets are on sale now at usaswimming.org. Single-session tickets start at $10 for children (12 and under) and $15 for adults.

Live television coverage of semifinals and finals will air nightly on the Olympic Channel and via the NBC Sports App in the United States. Prelim coverage will be available via FINAtv. In addition, USA Swimming’s Deck Pass Live show will air twice daily from Indianapolis – following each session – with host Ariana Kukors and special guests throughout the week. The show will air exclusively on usaswimming.org and via Facebook Live.

In addition to watching Team USA’s future stars in the pool, ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet some of the sport’s biggest names. Scheduled autograph sessions, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET, include:

• Wednesday, Aug. 23: Simone Manuel, Madisyn Cox
• Thursday, Aug. 24: Cullen Jones, Simone Manuel, Jordan Wilimovsky
• Friday, Aug. 25: Missy Franklin
• Saturday, Aug. 26: Missy Franklin

In the pool, the U.S. roster is led by four swimmers slated to swim in at least five events: Grace Ariola (Bloomington, Ill./ WAVES Bloomington/Normal Y Swim Team), Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Riptide Swimming), Nicolas Albiero(Louisville, Ky./Cardinal Aquatics) and Michael Andrew (Lawrence, Kan./Race Pace Club). Smith also represented the United States earlier this summer at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in the 200-meter backstroke.

On the local front, four swimmers with Indiana ties will represent Team USA in Indianapolis: Indiana native Michael Brinegar (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo Nadadores), Drew Kibler (Carmel, Ind./Carmel Swim Club), Kelly Pash(Carmel, Ind./Carmel Swim Club) and Emily Weiss (Muncie, Ind./Cardinal Community Swim Club). A complete roster is available at usaswimming.org.

Open to female athletes aged 14-17 and male competitors aged 15-18, the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, presented by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. will be the sixth edition of the prestigious competition which was first held in 2006 in Rio de Janeiro and hosted in 2015 in Singapore. Athletes from nearly 100 countries are expected to compete in the six-day meet.

Nearly 20 members of Team USA’s 2016 Olympic Team competed at past FINA World Junior Championships, including individual medalists Ryan Murphy, Simone Manuel, Chase Kalisz, Josh Prenot and Kathleen Baker.

The historic Indiana University Natatorium has been host to some of the biggest swimming competitions contested, including U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Phillips 66 National Championships, Duel in the Pool, arena Pro Swim Series, NCAA Championships and the annual Indiana State High School Association Championships.

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.

Swimming news courtesy of USA Swimming.