Comebacks Complete: Heiss, Wilkinson Rebound From Injuries in Return to World Stage
Jul 11, 2009 | Women's Swimming and Diving
July 11, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - It's amazing how many things can happen in the short span of a single year.
One year ago, Kristen Heiss (Casper, Wyo.) became the highest finishing swimmer at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Texas A&M history, mere days after spending nearly 100 hours in the hospital with blood clots in her lungs. Heiss continued her rebound a month later by qualifying for the World University Games after panning for more medals than an 1800's California gold miner at the U.S. Open last August. Less than two months later, she was back in the hospital, lying on an operating table.
One year ago, Julia Wilkinson (Stratford, Ontario) was the darling of Canadian women's swimming, qualifying for the Olympics in more races in the history of her country, making Olympic finals in three of them, and putting a face and voice to the Canadian Olympic swim team. Six weeks later, she also lay on an operating table.
After having shoulder surgery in early October, the two were not permitted to get in the water for months, helplessly watching the collegiate team they were destined to lead go on in their stead. As Heiss and Wilkinson slowly but surely began their rehabilitation in the water in the spring, their team was valiant, rising up to fight seemingly insurmountable challenges with a will and vigor that no one could have predicted. A&M finished runner-up in the second-closest Big 12 championship in the past decade, eventually grabbing a third-straight top 10 finish at the NCAA Championships with their past two Big 12 Swimmers of the Year relegated to observers.
But, like all things bad and good, times come to an end. The time for sitting on the sidelines was over. The pair began progressing toward full workouts in April and May. The duo competed at the Senior Circuit No. 2 meet in College Station on May 22, 2009, nine months after their last competition and seven months after their surgery. Both had promising performances, competing valiantly against swimmers that had been training for many, many more months. The pair was encouraged by their swims with their eyes on a bigger prize in July, goals set by each in September of the year before.
July is here now and Heiss and Wilkinson are back to doing the things that separate them from all but a select few of their peers: being two of the top swimmers, not only in each of their countries, but in the world.
One year ago, Kristen Heiss had no idea the trials and tribulations the next 12 months had in store for her. One year later, she walks away from the World University Games with more individual race medals than any one on the entire United States women's swimming team.
Heiss finished out her World University Games experience by taking the silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle in a time of 4:11.30. Heiss, a renowned closer, spent much of the last 200 meters of the race trying to gun down eventual winner Kevyn Peterson of Canada who managed to barely escape Heiss in a four-minute-plus race by just over than a second (4:10.01). The time is the second fastest of Heiss's career.
Heiss leaves Belgrade, Serbia, with four medals -- a gold, two silvers, and a bronze - as well as two career-best performances. No American on either the men's or women's swim team earned more individual race medals than Heiss and her silvers in the 200 back and 400 free and her bronze in the 200 free.
One year ago, Julia Wilkinson had no idea the trials and tribulations the next 12 months had in store for her. One year later, she returned to her homeland, closing out the Canadian world championship trials in Montreal by winning her self-professed `baby', the 200-meter individual medley.
After qualifying second in morning preliminaries in 2:16.47 behind Auburn's Stephanie Horner, Wilkinson took the 200 IM to a level that no other female swimmer in Canada has been able to match for the last few years, slicing through the field over the course of the final three strokes to eventually win in 2:13.20. Erica Morningstar, one of Wilkinson's top competitors for years, finished more than a half second back at 2:13.76 with Horner third at 2:14.72.
Wilkinson will compete in three events (the 400 and 800-meter freestyle relays and the 200-meter I.M.) at the world championships later this month, her goal, like Heiss, successfully achieved.
Wilkinson's countrywoman and future Texas A&M teammate Tess Simpson (Ingleside, Ontario) closed out her world championship trials by competing in a pair of events on Saturday. Simpson qualified 13th in the 200-meter backstroke preliminaries, swimming a time of 2:20.36. She earned a fifth-place finish in the evening consolation final, hitting the wall in 2:20.83. Simpson also placed 34th in the 50-meter freestyle in 27.20.
Back in the United States, several Aggies finished up their world championship trials in Indianapolis, Ind.
Former Aggie swimmer and 2008 U.S. Olympian Christine Marshall (Newport News, Va.) placed 12th in the prelims of the 100-meter freestyle (55.56). Marshall took fourth in the consolation final in 55.76. Junior Sarah Woods (Birmingham, Ala.) had an impressive showing in the same event, grabbing a 33rd place finish after turning in the fastest performance of her life at 56.67.
The FINA World Championships will take place July 19-Aug. 2 in Rome, Italy. Current and former Texas A&M swimmers Julia Wilkinson are all slated to compete.
