Collegiate swimmers devote hours of energy to the pool each week of each semester. And when it comes time to qualify for national meets, those swimmers try to shave as many seconds off their times as they can.

Earning a trip to the NCAA Championships. That’s the nature of the sport.

The Longhorns, fresh off yet another set of Big 12 Championships, have their eyes set on unfurling another banner inside Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

They’ll get one more opportunity to tune up for the Championship meets in late March as the American Short Course Championships roll into Austin this week.

Texas, running high on confidence, is looking to triumph at yet another event.

Although a win would build more momentum for a group that’s already on a roll, head coach Eddie Reese says it’s simply one more box to check.

“We have a saying that if you should win, you should win,” Reese said. “But almost as important as winning, is to make the qualifying times for NCAAs. We work all year to go to the NCAAs and compete with everybody there.”

With the list of qualified NCAA swimmers set, the Longhorns are looking to improve their form throughout this meet.

“I was thinking about what can I do to make this year more difficult for ‘em, so they would have to adjust to a higher level,” Reese said.

Texas is a team with a plethora of Olympians from the 2016 games, but that doesn’t mean there is a lack of room for improvement. 

As head coach, Reese makes sure his athletes understand that work never stops. A race can always yield a faster time, regardless of previous successes. 

“There’s always the next step to go, whether it’s one second or four seconds faster,” sophomore Townley Haas said. “There’s always more to do, it’s never done.”

The American Short Course Championships are set to start at 9:30 a.m. at the Northside ISA Natatorium in San Anotnia, and will continue through Saturday, March 4.