{"id":339665,"date":"2018-11-28T09:35:24","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T16:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=339665"},"modified":"2018-11-28T09:40:33","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T16:40:33","slug":"comeback-kids-the-return-of-madisyn-cox-and-dana-vollmer-to-the-competition-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/comeback-kids-the-return-of-madisyn-cox-and-dana-vollmer-to-the-competition-pool\/","title":{"rendered":"Comeback Kids: The Return of Madisyn Cox and Dana Vollmer to the Competition Pool"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andy Ross.<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2018 US Winter National Championships are this weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina. The meet roster is not huge, but some of the USA’s best names will be competing this weekend for the first time since Pan Pacs.<\/p>\n

WINTER NATIONALS PSYCH SHEET<\/a><\/p>\n

Katie Ledecky<\/strong>,\u00a0Nathan Adrian\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Simone Manuel<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>are set to compete in North Carolina, as well as international stars Kylie Masse <\/strong>and\u00a0Markus Thormeyer\u00a0<\/strong>from Canada.\u00a0This meet will be the first chance to qualify for Olympic Trials in 2020, meaning that Winter Nationals will be swum in long course, despite December being known as a “short course month.” Winter Nationals are generally swum in yards, with the exception of the pre-Olympic year being swum in long course.<\/p>\n

It will be an interesting change, and the professionals, who have no benefit of racing short course except to challenge their college compatriots, will have something to gain this weekend.<\/p>\n

What exactly is to gain? For\u00a0Madisyn Cox\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Dana Vollmer<\/strong>, they have everything to gain.<\/p>\n

Cox was most notably hit with a two-year doping suspension<\/a> this summer, totally zapping any chances at competing for a spot on the 2020 Olympic Team. Her suspension was eventually overturned<\/a>, vindicating her from a potentially career ending sentence. She is entered this weekend in the 200 free, 200 IM, 400 IM, 100 Breast and 200 Breast.<\/p>\n

For Cox, this meet will be her first meet back since the Atlanta Pro Swim Series in March. It has been a long road back from suspension<\/a>, but Cox is finally able to compete.<\/p>\n

The level of rest Cox has received coming into this meet is unknown, but she will be a welcomed sight to fellow National team members who missed her on the pool deck in Irvine at Nationals this summer.<\/p>\n

Cox entered 2018 as one of the top 200 IM’ers in the nation. She stole the bronze medal in the event at the 2017 World Championships, and she continued that momentum into 2018, when she swam a 2:10.98<\/a> in the 200 IM at the Atlanta Pro Swim Series. That in-season swim put her tied for 12th in the world rankings this year with Japan’s\u00a0Rika Omoyo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The times may not mean much at this point in the season, but the fact Cox could qualify for Olympic Trials this weekend is a win in itself, something many might not have thought possible four months ago.<\/p>\n

$\"madisyn-cox-\"$
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n
Also making her return to the pool this weekend is Dana Vollmer, who gave birth to her second child<\/a> in July 2017. Vollmer just turned 31 a couple weeks ago, and since Rio, she has only swam three official races. She did the 50 free while pregnant<\/a> at the Mesa Pro Swim Series in April 2017, and swam the 50 free and 50 fly at the 2018 Austin Pro Swim Series in January. She did not make it out of prelims in any of those swims.<\/p>\n
She is entered this weekend in just two events again, but this time is doubling up the distances with the 100 fly and 100 free on her schedule. Those are the same two events she qualified in at the last Olympics in Rio, capturing the bronze medal in the 100 fly and anchoring the 4×100 free relay team to a silver medal.<\/p>\n
Vollmer is the sixth seed in the 100 free and fifth seed in the 100 fly. She hasn’t raced anything over a 50 since the Olympics, and this weekend will be her first chance at racing her best event, the 100 fly, an event she held the world record<\/a> in at one point.<\/p>\n
Her last two meets have been “no pressure” meets since she was pregnant in Mesa, and was only swimming in Austin basically because she was “feeling speedy<\/a>.” This will be her first meet back where she should be taken seriously.<\/p>\n
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A post shared by Dana Vollmer (@dana.vollmer)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n