Countdown to the USA Swimming Grand Prix in Austin

This Friday kicks off the second of seven stops on the USA Swimming Grand Prix circuit from Austin, Texas. Let's get the weekend started off right with a little game of "by the numbers" to break down the top stories to watch for.

222 - Athletes entered in the Women's 100m freestyle.
This overly-packed event gives a pretty good idea of what the rest of the meet looks like. The number of participants heading to Austin has ballooned with hundreds of swimmers from around the country hoping to earn a ticket to the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Many more who already have their qualifying cuts will be marking this meet as an opportunity to hone their racing, seeing as the competition at the Grand Prix meets is as steep as anywhere outside of Trials.

59 - U.S. National Team members attending the meet.
Of the 109 swimmers named to the 2011-2012 USA Swimming National Team, more than half will be attending the Austin Grand Prix. That is an insanely high number which means multiple Olympians, World Champions and/or National Champions in every event. You can bet that the 50 National Teamers sitting at home or competing elsewhere around the country will be keeping eye on the Austin results page. Regardless of how broken down most swimmers are in the middle of January, everyone will be looking for any early signs of which elite athletes are primed for a big year in 2012.

40 - The age of the oldest swimmer at the meet.
At 40 years of age, Janet Evans' first appearance on the Grand Prix circuit this season may be the biggest story of the meet because you cannot help but want to see her do well. After a 15-year retirement, the five-time Olympic medalist seems to be having an absolute ball being back in the pool. It would be asking a lot for her to make the Olympic Team this time around, but that shouldn't stop you from pulling for the mother-of-two. Watch for Evans in the women's 400m and 800m freestyle events.

25 - Points that Michael Phelps has scored so far on this season's Grand Prix circuit.
After going five-for-five at the Minnesota Grand Prix in November, Phelps put his name atop the overall points leaderboard, six points ahead of Missy Franklin. With Ryan Lochte handing it to Phelps this past summer, and Phelps being absent at Winter Nationals and the Duel in the Pool, it's easy to forget that he looked tremendous in Minnesota. There is little reason to believe he won't continue that trend when he emerges from his training bunker this weekend. It is safe to assume Phelps is probably more concerned with keeping Lochte and the rest of his competitors honest more so than he is about winning the $20,000 prize for the Grand Prix's top overall point scorer.

12 - The age of the youngest swimmer at the meet.
A special shout out to Halle Morris who represents the youngest of youngsters looking to make their way into the big leagues of swimming. At less than one-third the age of the oldest swimmer at the meet, she represents the fact that there are hundreds of talented up-and-coming American swimmers determinedly working their way up the ladder, trying to break into the upper echelon. Keep fighting the good fight young ones - a few of you will make it there.

7 - Events that Missy Franklin and Tyler Clary are each swimming.
That is one more than both Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, who are each jotted down for six. Franklin is preparing for what will likely be a heavy load of events in London, and Clary has to give himself as many opportunities as possible to make the U.S. Olympic Team, as he will frequently run into those two other guys that everyone keeps talking about. Two of the best races of the weekend should be Franklin's ever-intensifying rivalry with Allison Schmitt in the 200m free on Saturday, and in a rare treat Clary will be joined in the 400m IM (also on Saturday) by Phelps - who has sworn the event out of his Olympic schedule.

4 - Athletes competing who were members of the U.S. Olympic Team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Anthony Ervin marks the most surprising name of the quartet, as this weekend marks his first elite competition since retiring following the 2003 World Championships. Last month the Olympic gold medalist surged back onto the swim scene with a respectable 19.42 in the 50y free. Phelps is the second athlete who was in Sydney; where as a 15-year-old he finished fourth in the 200m fly. Finally, Ed Moses and  Amanda Beard round out the crew making sure the veteran breaststrokers are adequately represented. Also keep in mind that 2000 U.S. Olympians Jason Lezak and Dara Torres are faces we will be seeing a lot of this year; just not in Austin.

3 - Potential showdowns between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
The two most prominent names in swimming will both be competing in the 200m IM, 100m free and 100m back. The race with the best potential for a showdown will of course be in the 200m IM on Sunday. One or both of the superstars might get lost in the clutter in the 100m races - neither swimmer's strongest events. Also worth noting is that both athletes will be testing out the Speedo FASTSKIN3 suit, cap and goggles for the first time in competition.

Watch finals from the Austin Grand Prix live on Universal Sports Network and UniversalSports.com, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 14-15.