4 Storylines to Watch at the USA Swimming Pro Series Stop in Westmont
The USA Swimming Pro Series will resume this week, with the tour’s second leg taking place in Westmont, Illinois. A sizable collection of the world’s best swimmers will race at the FMC Natatorium, headlined by the two most-dominant stars in the sport – France’s Leon Marchand and Canada’s Summer McIntosh. The competition will also feature many of the top names in American swimming, including Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Luke Hobson and Shaine Casas.
A duel between Ledecky and McIntosh in the 800-meter freestyle has been widely discussed since the meet’s psych sheets dropped, as the women rank first and second historically in the event. Meanwhile, Marchand is set to take on a handful of secondary events, including the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle.
Here are some other storylines to follow:
A Twist for Kate Douglass
Nearly three years ago, Kate Douglass notched the seventh-fastest time in American history in the 100 butterfly, clocking 56.43 at Nationals. She was also the third-place finisher in the event at the 2020 Olympic Trials and is an NCAA champion in the event. Despite her obvious talent and vast success, the 100 butterfly has been missing from Douglass’ program in recent years, as her focus has been centered on the sprint-freestyle disciplines, the breaststroke events and the 200 individual medley.
In Westmont, however, we might get a glimpse of Douglass in the 100 butterfly. The 24-year-old is listed on the psych sheet and while she could opt to scratch, the possibility of seeing the University of Virginia product in what is now a secondary event is intriguing. If nothing else, Douglass’ presence in the 100 butterfly will benefit her work in the 200 individual medley, where Douglass is the reigning Olympic silver medalist and a two-time world champion.
Where Does Caeleb Dressel Stand?
Now representing Sporting Jax Aquatic Club, where he’s training under the watch of Steve Jungbluth, 10-time Olympic medalist Caeleb Dressel will provide a sense of where he stands during the midpoint year on the way to the next Olympiad. Dressel has never been known to generate fast times during midseason competitions, so it’s unlikely we’ll see lightning-fast performances from the sprint star.
Yet, Dressel’s status is noteworthy since it’s been five months since he made the announcement that he was shifting his training environment from his longtime setting of the University to Florida to Jungbluth, a former mentor to Dressel with the Gators. Dressel is entered in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly in Westmont. At the January Pro Series stop in Austin, Dressel’s best showings were a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly (51.62) and a third-place effort in the 50 fly (23.29).
Defying Age
A two-time Olympian, once each for Brazil (1996) and the United States (2000), 48-year-old Gabby Rose will be in action in all three breaststroke events. Over the past few years, including at the 2024 United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Rose has churned out several impressive performances in breaststroke competition, proving that one does not have to slow down with age.
Rose’s top seeding in Westmont is in the 200 breaststroke, where she is slotted fifth with an entry time of 2:30.13. She is the seventh seed in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.32) and is ninth in the 50 breaststroke (31.49). During the 2025 season, Rose ranked 16th in the United States in the 50 breaststroke, 11th in the 100 breaststroke and 21st in the 200 breaststroke.
Sprint Focus
For years, Michael Andrew has placed an emphasis on the 50-meter events, as his sprinting ability lends itself to the one-lap disciplines. Now that those events have been added to the program for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, it’s not surprising that Andrew is entered in all four 50-meter distances in Westmont and seems to be gearing his approach to LA28 around the sprints.
Andrew’s top seed for the Pro Series is his No. 2 position in the 50 breaststroke, where he is one of three athletes with a sub-27 entry time. Andrew is seeded second at 26.92, behind only South African Michael Houlie. He is also seeded fourth in the 50 backstroke, fifth in the 50 butterfly and fifth in the 50 freestyle. Andrew is also scheduled to contest the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke, the latter in which he owns the American record at 58.14.
