Men’s swimming and diving head coach Eddie Reese is spending his final days before official retirement doing what he has done for 46 years — coaching Texas players to be the best they can be.
The first day of the Olympic Swimming Trials is going to be underway in Indianapolis, with multiple Longhorns and Texas Exes competing for spots. After Reese’s retirement was announced during the early 2023-24 season, he confirmed that the June 15-23 trials would be his last stint before leaving the job in the faithful hands of Bob Bowman.
As well as being announced as the new head coach, Bowman was given the newly formed position of swimming and diving director in April. His long list of national championships and titles gives the Longhorns no doubts, filling them with hope to debut in the SEC with a bang, as well as his focus on maintaining and adding to Texas’ unique culture of coaching.
“We’re both process guys,” Bowman said about the similarities between his coaching and Reese’s. “We know the things that make the championships are what happens on Tuesday afternoons in the pool.”
However, the culture that Reese instills will be missed by his roster. Many recall the words of wisdom that he was popular for.
“(He) always says that his only goal for this season is to see us all get better,” junior swimmer Luke Hobson said. “It just really helps motivate you and keeps you wanting to work hard and practice and get better.”
Athletes who are optimistic about participating in the Olympics cherish the time they have left to work with Reese in a professional environment. A total of 24 incoming, current and former Longhorns will be competing for spots, with 15 athletes from the current roster and five incoming freshmen.
Current athletes competing include sophomore Spencer Aurnou-Rhees, sophomore Ryan Branon, senior Coby Carrozza, sophomore Aleksej Filipovic, freshman Nate Germonprez, sophomore Manning Haskal, Luke Hobson, David Johnston, Rex Maurer, freshman Will Modglin, senior Chris O’Connor, Ben Sampson, freshman Will Scholtz, Aaron Shackell and freshman Camden Taylor.
Incoming freshmen Landon D’Ariano, Garrett Gould, Jeremy Kelly, Cooper Lucas and Kyle Peck will be making their debut at the Olympic trials before moving to the Forty Acres in the fall and finding new direction under Bowman.
Four Texas Exes will also be making an appearance, consisting of Carson Foster, Jake Foster, Drew Kibler and Will Licon. Carson and Jake Foster both swam for Texas last season and have now moved on to continue their careers.
With Reese’s experience and involvement, the Longhorns are optimistic about their chances of participating in the next Olympics. Morning preliminaries for the trials begin each day at 10 a.m. CT, with finals starting at 6:45 p.m.
