The Longhorns had their sights set on bringing a fourth consecutive NCAA championship to Austin. But first, they had to face two of the nation’s top programs in a trip to Arizona this past weekend.
On Friday, the men’s swimming and diving team competed against No. 10 Arizona State. Despite several individual wins on the day, the team fell to the Sun Devils, 168-132. Texas watched Arizona State take the top spot during the first five men’s events. But the Longhorns rebounded from the slow start as senior Joseph Schooling took first in the 200-yard butterfly in 1 minute, 44.48 seconds.
Next up was the 50-yard freestyle in which senior Brett Ringgold narrowed Arizona State’s overall lead by finishing the event in 20.11 seconds, placing him atop the leaderboard.
The Sun Devils regained momentum by proving victorious in the next three matches until junior Townley Haas and freshman Sam Pomajevich responded with first and second-place finishes, respectively, in the 500-yard freestyle. Haas raced to the finish in 4:25.42, and Pomajevich finished shortly after in 4:27.19. Schooling then followed up his previous showing by winning the 100-yard butterfly in 47.37.
Redshirt sophomore Ryan Harty kept the Longhorns rolling with a resounding come-from-behind victory in the 200-yard individual medley, finishing in 1:47.66. Freshman diver Jordan Windle kept his hot streak going with first-place finishes in both the one-meter and three-meter dives. Windle recorded a score of 373.65 in the one-meter and 424.80 in the three-meter.
Despite dropping Friday’s meet in Tempe, the Longhorns were able to finish the weekend on a high note as they outlasted No. 18 Arizona on Saturday, 155-143. Texas started strong on the day, winning the 200-yard medley relay in 1:28.96. Townley contributed in large part to the victory by grabbing first place in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyles. Ringgold seized his two opportunities on the day as well with a win in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.57 and another victory in the 100-yard freestyle in 44.38.
Senior Jonathan Roberts barely edged out Harty for the win in the 100-yard backstroke. In a down-to-the-wire finish, Roberts clocked a time of 48.72 while Harty followed almost instantly in 48.73. Harty later placed first in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:46.56, and Roberts finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:01.39. Schooling once again did not disappoint as he took first in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:45.94.
On the diving board, the Longhorns executed sheer dominance over the Wildcats as sophomore Grayson Campbell scored a 363.45 in the one-meter dive, good for the top spot in the event. Windle won the three-meter dive by a large margin, earning 450.98 points. Next up, the Longhorns will host TCU on Friday.
