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The Swimming Lineup For The Olympics Is On Point

by Chris Tognotti

Don't look now, but the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are nearly upon us! Which means, of course, that all you swimming fans out there are in for that wonderful clash of the titans. It's so tantalizingly close that you can almost smell the sweat and chlorine already! Even so, however, you might be wondering: Who are the American Olympic swimmers for 2016? Even if you're into the competitive swimming scene, it's doubtful that you'll recognize every name on the list. Olympic rosters tend to have a lot of turnover, because the normal athletic prime for competition on that level typically doesn't last long.

In other words, it's far from the same roster that competed in London in 2012. In fact, the majority of swimmers this year are first-timers, so you'll probably want to familiarize yourself. Sure, there are some prominent names on both the men's and women's side ― folks like Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte, Allison Schmidt, and Michael Phelps ― but there are a slew of fresh faces, too. You can never predict with 100 percent certainty who's going to be holding the gold medal when it's all said and done.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

First things first, here's the USA Swimming Women's Olympic Team roster, as listed on the team's official website.

  • Cammile Adams of Cypress, Texas
  • Haley Anderson of Granite Bay, California
  • Kathleen Baker of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  • Elizabeth Beisel of Saunderstown, Rhode Island
  • Maya DiRado of Santa Rosa, California
  • Hali Flickinger of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania
  • Missy Franklin of Centennial, Colorado
  • Molly Hannis of Santa Rosa, California
  • Lilly King of Evansville, Indiana
  • Katie Ledecky of Bethesda, Maryland
  • Simone Manuel of Sugar Land, Texas
  • Melanie Margalis of Clearwater, Florida
  • Katie Meili Colleyville of Texas
  • Lia Neal of Brooklyn, New York
  • Cierra Runge of Cochranville, Pennsylvania
  • Allison Schmitt of Canton, Michigan
  • Leah Smith of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Olivia Smoliga of Glenview, Illinois
  • Dana Vollmer of Granbury, Texas
  • Amanda Weir of Lawrenceville, Georgia
  • Abbey Weitzeil of Saugus, California
  • Kelsi Worrell of Westampton, New Jersey
Al Bello/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

And here's the roster for the men's team.

  • Nathan Adrian of Bremerton, Washington
  • Gunnar Bentz of Atlanta, Georgia
  • Jack Conger of Rockville, Maryland
  • Kevin Cordes of Naperville, Illinois
  • Caeleb Dressel of Green Cove Springs, Florida
  • Conor Dwyer of Winnetka, Illinois
  • Anthony Ervin of Valencia, California
  • Jimmy Feigen of San Antonio, Texas
  • Townley Haas of Richmond, Virginia
  • Ryan Held of Springfield, Illinois
  • Connor Jaeger of Fair Haven, New Jersey
  • Chase Kalisz of Bel Air, Maryland
  • Jay Litherland of Alpharetta, Georgia
  • Ryan Lochte of Daytona Beach, Florida
  • Cody Miller of Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Ryan Murphy of Jacksonville, Florida
  • Jacob Pebley of Corvallis, Oregon
  • Michael Phelps of Baltimore, Maryland
  • Blake Pieroni of Valparaiso, Indiana
  • David Plummer of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Josh Prenot of Santa Maria, California
  • Sean Ryan of Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • Tom Shields of Huntington Beach, California
  • Clark Smith of Denver, Colorado
  • Jordan Wilimovsky of Malibu, California

If you're getting anxious for the events to finally roll around, you're in luck, because you won't have to wait too much longer. The Rio Olympics kick off on Aug. 5, and NBC will be airing the games.