From Feb. 27 to Mar. 2, the swimming and diving team competed in Morgantown, West Virginia, at the last of the Big 12 Championships before Texas moves to the SEC. The Longhorns made a memorable exit, sweeping their final meet.
Texas men’s swim and dive won 19 out of 22 events that comprised the Big 12 Championship meet, sweeping the five-day competition with a total of 1,979 points, more than 500 points ahead of the second place team. This title is its 28th consecutive win in the Big 12, bringing its total conference championship streak to 45. All of these titles were won under the coachmanship of Eddie Reese.
The Longhorns won four individual meet awards. Freshman Will Modglin took home Swimmer of the Meet, with senior Noah Duperre earning Diver of the Meet for the second year in a row. Freshmen Nate Germonprez and Tanner Braunton took Swimming and Diving Newcomer awards individually.
The 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle relays were all won by the Longhorns, as well as the 200- and 400-meter medley relays.
The Longhorns also dominated the individual events. Fifth-year senior Cole Crane won the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 19.36 seconds. Germonprez took home the 100-meter free with 42.24 seconds on the board. Senior Coby Carrozza won both the 200 and 500-meter free races with times of 1:32.63 and 4:11.95. Sophomore Alec Enyeart showed out on the 1650-meter free, winning the gold with a time of 14:58.71. Modglin won the 100 and 200-meter backstroke races with times of 44.75 and 1:39.73, respectively. He also dominated in the 200-meter individual medley, with his time at 1:41.01. The 100-meter breaststroke was taken by freshman Will Scholtz, who touched the wall at 52.09 seconds. Freshman Brayden Taivassalo won the 200-meter breaststroke with the clock at 1:53.28.
On the diving end, Braunton, Duperre and sophomore Nick Harris made history with a new record of 406.46 team diving points. Individually, Braunton won the platform event with 452.20 points. Senior Brendan McCourt took home the gold in the 1-meter event with a score of 435.35 points and Duperre took the 3-meter with 446.80.
With Texas’ move to the SEC and the retirement of Reese after this season, it was important for the Longhorns to solidify their mark in the Big 12 Conference. Sweeping the swim and dive championships did just that, especially as the younger athletes on the team showed their talents. Out of the 14 athletes that won titles, six were freshmen with multiple athletes winning several titles each.
Before the team starts looking ahead to a future in the SEC, this win will propel them into the upcoming NCAA championships, with diving taking place in Houston, Texas and swimming occurring later this month in Indiana.
