Thirty-six of the nation's top junior swimmers will represent the United States at the FINA World Junior Championships in Dubai starting Monday, and two of them are from Wisconsin.

Alex Meyers, a senior at University School, and Katie Drabot, a sophomore at Cedarburg High School, both qualified for the U.S. team.

"I've never competed internationally," said Meyers, who trains at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer. "I'm excited. I'm a little nervous, too."

Meyers, 17, will compete in the 400-meter freestyle relay after finishing second in the 100 freestyle at the 2013 Speedo Junior National Championships in Irvine, Calif., earlier this month.

Her time was 56.06 seconds.

Drabot, 15, will swim in the 800 freestyle relay after finishing third in the 200 at the Speedo meet in 1 minute 59.32 seconds.

"The one thing that sets Katie apart is that she sets a goal and then does everything she needs to do to get to it," said Steve Keller, who coaches Drabot at Ozaukee Aquatics. "She's bound and determined to be one of the greatest swimmers ever. She's already one of the fastest swimmers in Wisconsin and she's 15."

Meyers competed in the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials and has improved her times this year. She credits additional work at NX Level and yoga for her improvement.

"I've been really happy with this season," she said. "I swam my best times in pretty much every event. I think my training this summer was a lot better. I had a lot more consistently better practices.

"I've been doing yoga and I think it helps with flexibility and strength. After doing it I always feel good in the water."

Meyers and Drabot leave Thursday and will join the rest of Team USA in Washington, D.C. The fourth FINA World Junior Championships are scheduled for Monday through Aug. 31.

USA Swimming selected its roster based on results from the Phillips 66 National Championships, the U.S. Open and the Speedo Junior National Championships.

Women swimmers must be between 14 and 17 years old as of Dec. 31, 2013.