[3] In September 2008, following the Olympics, Spann had surgery to remove a piece of bone that had broken off of his patella and embedded in his tendon.

Previously diagnosed as tendonitis, Spann believes he sustained the injury in late 2007 or early 2008 during dryland weight training.

With only 45 days to train, and time for preparation, he competed at the 2009 USA Nationals and World Championships Trials.

Spann placed fourth in both the 100m and 200m breaststrokes, narrowly missing the chance to compete at the World Championships in Rome, Italy.

At the University of Texas, Spann broke the 200-yard breaststroke team record previously held by Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder Brendan Hansen.