The Texas swim teams showed out at the Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis, taking place June 15-23. A whopping 46 Longhorn athletes, signees and alumni competed for spots on Team USA, with Texas having the largest representation out of any other college.
Swimmers who take home a first-place title automatically gain an Olympic spot, while runner-up athletes are considered near-locks on the team. For relays such as the 4×200, the top four finishers gain spots as members of the U.S. relay teams.
Rising sophomore and recent transfer Aaron Shackell was the first American swimmer to become an Olympian. With a time of 3 minutes, 45.46 seconds in the 400-meter freestyle, Shackell secured his place in Paris by swimming the fastest time in the finals at only 19 years old.
Rising senior Luke Hobson also qualified by winning the 200-meter free with a time of 1:44.89. With the first-place title, Hobson was an automatic admit to Paris. Texas alumnus Drew Kibler also qualified for the 200-meter free with a third-place time of 1:45.60 and a spot on the 4×200 team, making a return to the Olympics for a second time.
Former Longhorn Carson Foster punched in his ticket for Paris in two events, the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medleys. After missing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Foster won the 200-meter with a time of 1:55.65 and the 400-meter at 4:07.64.
Right behind Foster in the 200-meter IM, former Longhorn Shaine Casas recorded a time of 1:55.83. After transferring from A&M in 2022, Casas and Foster became teammates and will now be competing in their first Olympic Games together.
In the last group of swimmers to qualify for an Olympic spot, rising senior David Johnston earned his way to Paris in the 1500-meter free, finishing second with a time of 14:52.74.
Rising sophomore Erin Gemmell claimed an Olympic spot finishing fourth in the 200-meter freestyle final with a time of 1:56.75, qualifying for a spot on the 4×200 relay team.
For Texas diving, it was former Longhorn Alison Gibson who qualified for Paris in a second-place finish in women’s springboard, earning a cumulative score of 635.10 after her final dive on Saturday, where she entered the pool and finished her round in the lead.
With the conclusion of the swimming and diving Olympic Trials, the Longhorns have reached the end of the 2023-24 season with several successes and notable appearances. Seven Longhorns are now guaranteed spots as Olympians, with the Olympic Games featuring several past and present Longhorns, maintaining Texas’ notoriety on the international map.
