The year following an Olympics is a unique time for elite swimmers. They can take some time off to recharge and reflect on what they accomplished in the past year. Or in some cases, what they didn't accomplish... This time is critical for the up and comers to prove they belong on the big stage and establish names for themselves.

The 2017 Arena Pro Swim Series at Austin, Texas, on Friday, Jan. 13, to Sunday, Jan. 15, will provide the first test in long course competition since Rio and will be a stepping stone in preparation for the World Championships this summer in Budapest, Hungary.

Here are three storylines to keep an eye out for as the meet unfolds this weekend:

Matt Grevers Returns To Competition

This past year was bittersweet for Matt Grevers. He narrowly missed out on making the 2016 Olympic team in his signature event, the 100 backstroke, finishing behind ​future world record holder ​Ryan Murphy ​and ​David Plummer​ (who experienced the same agony of third place in 2012). Outside of the pool, Grevers and his wife, Annie, gave birth to their daughter, Skylar Lea. Grevers, who strongly hinted at retirement back in June, will swim the 50 free and 100 back this weekend. With Plummer now retired, he looks to make a push toward redemption and a spot on the World Championships team this summer.​
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North Carolina State/Wolfpack Elite

It seems as if an N.C. State swimmer is doing something spectacular on a daily basis. The meteoric rise of the program under sixth-year head coach ​Braden ​​Holloway ​is nothing short of incredible​. With the men's team finishing fourth at the 2016 NCAA Championships, Ryan Held ​busting on the scene this past summer in Rio with a gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay, and ​Simonas Bilis ​claiming the world title in the 100 freestyle last month at the 2016 Short Course World Championships in Windsor, Canada, the program looks to ride that wave of success in 2017. The names of N.C. State swimmers are littered all over the psych sheet this weekend, and you can count on them to make an impact.​
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Michael Andrew -- 400 IM?

The 17 year-old prodigy has destroyed just about every National Age Group record possible. He even proved some doubters wrong by making a push for an Olympic berth this past summer by finishing fourth in the 100 breaststroke at the Olympic Trials, just 0.56 from making the team. Coming off of his first world title last month in the 100 individual medley at the 2016 Short Course World Championships, it is clear that ​Michael Andrew​ is more than proficient in the shorter distances. However, if you scroll far enough down the psych sheet you will notice Andrew is entered in the 400 individual medley. This is an event Andrew rarely, if ever, swims, and it will be interesting to see the race's outcome given all of the scrutiny he receives with Ultra Short Race Pace Training (USRPT).​

Stay tuned to our social media channels and follow @FloSwimming on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more in-depth coverage and access throughout the weekend.