The 2014-2015 USA Swimming Grand Prix Series awarded its first prize money in its new double-cash format on Thursday, and 8 swimmers have already earned north of $1,000 for a day’s work.
The big winner on the men’s side was Conor Dwyer with a win in the 200 free and a runner-up finish in the men’s 400 IM – netting him $1,600 even after scratching a third A-Final in the 100 breaststroke. Tyler Clary medaled in the same two events, but his in the 200 free was just bronze to leave him with $1,200.
For the women, Elizabeth Beisel won the 400 IM and took 2nd in the 200 free for the same $1,600 as Dwyer, except she was the only woman to make two individual podiums on this day. Shannon Vreeland, Melanie Margalis, and Beata Nelson (still an amateur) each earned $1,000 with a single victory.
See the full day 1 finals recap here.
Note: Swimmers who, based on best available information, are still amateurs are marked with an “(A)” below. While there are loopholes allowing athletes to accept some prize money to cover expenses in the NCAA guide-book, they’re too complex to look at on a case-by-case basis, so we’ve focused on earned money versus received money.
| Rank | Swimmer | Earned Money |
| 1. | Conor Dwyer | $1,600 |
| 2. | Tyler Clary | $1,200 |
| 3. | Felipe Lima | $1,000 |
| 4. | Miguel Ortiz | $1,000 |
| 5. | Nathan Adrian | $600 |
| 6. | Mike Alexandrov | $600 |
| 7. | Giles Smith | $600 |
| 8. | Lyam Dias (A) | $200 |
| 9. | Junya Koga | $200 |
| 10. | Michael Weiss | $200 |
| Rank | Swimmer | Earned Money |
| 1. | Elizabeth Beisel | $1,600 |
| 2. | Shannon Vreeland | $1,000 |
| 3. | Melanie Margalis | $1,000 |
| 4. | Beata Nelson (A) | $1,000 |
| 5. | Hilda Luthersdottir | $600 |
| 6. | Katie McLaughlin (A) | $600 |
| 7. | Maya DiRado | $600 |
| 8. | Katie Hoff | $200 |
| 9. | Kierra Smith (A) | $200 |
| 10. | Danielle Nack (A) | $200 |
