June 9, 2006

Former Trojan All-American Josh Ilika has been named the Director of "Swim with the Stars," a property created by Olympic gold medalist swimmers Michael Phelps, Ian Crocker and fellow former USC swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg.

Ilika joins "Swim with the Stars" after a three-and-a-half year stint as the Director of Operations at the La Loma Altitude Training Center in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, one of the top altitude training facilities in the world.

"Josh is going to be tremendous asset to `Swim with the Stars,'" said Peter Carlisle, Octagon's Director of Olympic & Action Sports and the architect of this first-ever post-Olympic swimming tour. "Being an accomplished world class swimmer in his own right, Josh is truly ambitious and will spearhead the expansion of the `Swim with the Stars' properties on a global level."

Ilika will lead the "Swim with the Stars" expansion on an international scale, including a potential camp this summer following the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in August in possible locations such as China, South Africa or Dubai. Other future international camps are slated for after the 2007 World Championships and the 2008 Summer Olympics. He will also continue to proactively market such "Swim the Stars" properties including "Unfiltered", the groundbreaking swimming documentary starting Phelps and Crocker.

An Austin, Texas native, Ilika was born in Mexico and represented his homeland in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. The owner of 13 national records and a 55-time Mexican national champion, Ilika competed at USC from 1995-1998. A well-liked, outgoing and respected team leader, the USC swimming program created the Josh Ilika Sprit Award upon his graduation. This yearly honor is bestowed to the male Trojan swimmer who best exemplifies Ilika's strong qualities.

Next week, "Swim with the Stars" will descend upon Atlanta, Ga. to host a series of camps for swimmers of all ages and abilities. The "Swim with the Stars" camps, which are sponsored by Speedo and PowerBar, include a five-day instructional overnight swim camp and a two-day commuter camp.