USA Swimming Announces 2020 Pro Swim Series Schedule

USA Swimming has announced the lineup for the 2020 Pro Swim Series, and the big news is the return of the November Pro Swim Series stop to the schedule.

From November 6th-9th, Greensboro, North Carolina will host a stop of the series. Until recently, there was traditionally a late-November stop, in short course yards, that would double as a mid-season collegiate invite for most teams (Minnesota was the typical host). Now, though, the meet comes before most colleges run their mid-season tapers, and it will be in long course.

This marks the 2nd year of open bidding for the series by USA Swimming. Previously, USA Swimming would pay hosts a $20,000 management fee; now, instead, they collect fees from host cities and venues.

The result in the 2019 season was a collection of non-traditional hosts. Through the first 3 meets, USA Swimming boasted over and 84% ticket sales rate in spite of complaints about the locations being harder to get to than previous host cities like Minneapolis, Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte, or Indianapolis. The last stop of the 2019 series, in Clovis, California, had much smaller crowds, however, and all stops have had much smaller fields of competitors, in general, than previous years.

This year will be a mix of traditional and new hosts. Greensboro, while not on the same scale as a city as some of those listed above, has become a traditional host on the USA Swimming circuit at their massive aquatics complex that now boasts 4 pools. Returning to host from the 2019 series are Knoxville, Tennessee; and Des Moines, Iowa. Joining the series for this year, in addition to Greensboro, are Mission Viejo’s Marguerite Aquatic Center – which recently reopened after an $11 million renovation – and Indianapolis and the IU Natatorium – the biggest permanent natatorium in the country by seating capacity.

Mission Viejo will be hosting outside in mid-April, where temperatures average highs around 71 degrees and lows around 50 degrees.

Full 2020 Pro Swim Series Schedule:

The series will have the same 5 meets as 2019 did, and besides shifting the June event to a November event, will have roughly the same schedule as well.

Approximately 1,100 total swimmers competed in at least 1 stop of the 2019 series, where $540,000 were awarded in total prize money.

The series will be a lead-up to the 2020 Olympic Trials, which begin on June 21st in Omaha, Nebraska.