{"id":284204,"date":"2017-11-13T12:15:40","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T19:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=284204"},"modified":"2017-11-13T12:15:40","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T19:15:40","slug":"olympians-to-draft-usaswimsquads-for-2018-national-meets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/olympians-to-draft-usaswimsquads-for-2018-national-meets\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympians to Draft #USASwimSquads for 2018 National Meets, Including Pro Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team USA legends\u00a0Natalie Coughlin<\/strong>,\u00a0Lenny Krayzelburg<\/strong>,\u00a0Jason Lezak\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Kaitlin Sandeno<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 who combined to win 28 career Olympic medals \u2013 will serve as team captains for #USASwimSquads, a new feature for 2018 that allows USA Swimming National Team members to compete for team points and a grand prize throughout next year\u2019s events.<\/p>\n

The captains will draft their squads on Sunday ahead of the Golden Goggle Awards. USA Swimming will stream the first five rounds of the draft on\u00a0USASwimming.org<\/a>\u00a0and via\u00a0Facebook Live<\/a>\u00a0at 1 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

\u201cUSA Swimming is committed to enhancing our events for swimmers and spectators alike, and #USASwimSquads adds a unique twist to our 2018 line-up,\u201d said\u00a0Lindsay Mintenko<\/strong>, USA Swimming National Team Managing Director. \u201cTeam competition is a key part of the sport from the grassroots level to the highest ranks of collegiate swimming, and #USASwimSquads will allow our National Team athletes to compete head-to-head for team bragging rights throughout the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was ultra-competitive in the pool, and I fully expect to be just as competitive managing my squad,\u201d said Coughlin, a 12-time Olympic medalist. \u201c#USASwimSquads is a great concept and should add a fun and unique twist for everyone following USA Swimming\u2019s events next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following Sunday\u2019s draft, each of the four rosters will feature 27 or 28 team members. From there, it will be up to each of the legendary captains to set their best projected lineup for each meet \u2013 much like fantasy sports.<\/p>\n

Prior to each of the six TYR Pro Swim Series meets and the Phillips 66 National Championships, each captain will choose six athletes from their squad to be eligible to score points. The six athletes then will be designated across six event categories (one athlete per team per category) and will be eligible to score points in a maximum of two events from that category. The scoring athletes can be changed out from meet to meet. The event categories include:<\/p>\n