Sept. 22, 2009

BERKELEY - Natalie Coughlin, on sabbatical from swimming since the end of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, returns to competition on the dance floor as part of the ninth season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," with her first official dances of the contest airing live at 8 p.m. ET and on tape at 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The California swimming legend and 11-time U.S. Olympic medalist is one of 16 celebrities, including former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin, supermodel Joanna Krupa and former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, vying for the mirror-ball trophy.

Coughlin is paired with professional dancer and fellow Cal graduate Alec Mazo on the show. A one-hour results show will air on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Fans may cast their votes for Coughlin and Mazo via telephone on Tuesday nights during and up to 30 minutes after the "Dancing with the Stars" performance shows. Their official voting number is 1-800-VOTE4-13 or 1-800-868-3413.

AT&T subscribers may also text message their votes by texting the word "VOTE" to 3413 - standard text message rates apply. Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast and until noon ET the following day.

The "Dancing with the Stars" season finale is slated for Nov. 25.