Phelps, Lochte top U.S. roster for Duel in the Pool

Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Rebecca Soni and Katie Hoff are among the swimmers headlining the U.S. roster for the Duel in the Pool, a showcase that will pit the Americans against the Europeans in Manchester, England on Dec. 18-19.

This will be the fourth installment of the biennial meet, which began in 2003. The U.S. swam against Australia in each of the three previous editions, with the Americans coming out on top each time.

"This meet is gonna be a lot of fun," Lochte said during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. "It's great for the sport of swimming; it will get more people interested in the sport. I know I'm excited, and I know Gemma [Spofforth] is too."

Great Britain's Spofforth joined Lochte on the call; she set the 100m backstroke world record at the 2009 FINA World Championships in July. She currently attends and swims for the University of Florida.

"I haven't really experienced this home meet with the big crowd," Spofforth said. "I'm really excited to have the people over here as well and race them on home soil."

With FINA's new swimsuit restrictions going into effect in January, the suit controversy is slowly nearing its end. Men will only be allowed to wear suits that stretch from the waist to the knees, while women's suits can extend from the shoulders to the knees.

Phelps is on the record as saying he will wear a jammer (waist-to-knee suit) in Manchester and at two World Cup meets in November. Forty-three world records were set at the recent world championships in Rome, and all but a few of them were set by swimmers wearing ultra-slick bodysuits made my companies like Jaked and Arena - suits that are on FINA's banned list starting in 2010.

Lochte said for now, he is comfortable with his old standard.

"I'm comfortable with wearing the same suit I wore at worlds," said Lochte, referring to the Speedo LZR -- the high-tech bodysuit that was introduced in 2008, the one that spurred the Jakeds and the Arenas of the market to invent even faster suits. "I'm planning on wearing that exact same suit.

"The suit doesn't make the swimmer," he added. "The swimmer makes the suit."

Lochte also said he is looking forward to having FINA's new regulations in place.

Spofforth, who is undecided about which suit she will wear at the Duel in the Pool, echoed Lochte's comments.

"Going back to old-style suits is gonna show who is training hard and who is fit," the 21-year-old said. "I'm definitely looking forward to going back to these old-style suits instead of what we had at worlds. Swimming is moving forward, and the athletes are moving forward."

Lochte last visited Manchester for the 2008 Short Course World Championships, where he tore up the pool en route to four gold medals and a pair of runner-up finishes. He also set three world records during the meet.

The 2009 Duel in the Pool will feature 13 men's and 13 women's events, plus two coed relays. The European team will be comprised of swimmers from Great Britain, Germany and Italy. The meet will be held in a short-course, 25-meter pool.

The U.S. team was chosen from a pool of the fastest swimmers at four meets in 2009 -- the U.S. and World Championships, the World University Games and the U.S. Open. The European squad will have 12 swimmers from each country for a total of 18 men and 18 women.

Below are the full U.S. rosters.

MEN
Nathan Adrian
Mike Alexandrov
Jack Brown
Tyler Clary
Mark Gangloff
Matt Grevers
Michael Klueh
Chad LaTourette
Ryan Lochte
Sean Mahoney
Tyler McGill
Aaron Peirsol
Michael Phelps
Kevin Swander
Nick Thoman
Alex Vanderkaay
Peter Vanderkaay
Garrett Weber-Gale

WOMEN
Elizabeth Beisel
Mary DeScenza
Missy Franklin
Katy Freeman
Jessica Hardy
Margaret Hoelzer
Katie Hoff
Ariana Kukors
Dagny Knutson
Christine Magnuson
Amber McDermott
Hayley McGregory
Elizabeth Pelton
Allison Schmitt
Julia Smit
Rebecca Soni
Dana Vollmer
Amanda Weir