Texas men’s swim and dive is kicking off its first season in the SEC with two big meets. On Thursday, Oct. 3, Texas will host the Sam Kendrick’s Classic before going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Oct. 11 to face Louisiana State.

“I’ve never been to LSU, and I don’t think anyone on the team has raced there before,” said returning graduate swimmer Coby Carrozza. “It’s always fun to walk into a new campus … and race in a new pool.”

The Sam Kendrick’s Classic, formerly known as the Orange-White meet, showcases the men’s team while giving insight into which swimmers are poised for big seasons.

The Longhorns are coming off their 28th Big 12 Championship win and a seventh-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. With a preseason ranking at No. 3 and aspirations for a national championship win, Texas is expected to make a strong entrance into the SEC.

There have been some big changes in the Forty Acres since last season. After longtime coach Eddie Reese retired this past June, the Longhorns brought in Bob Bowman, one of the highest-profile swimming coaches in the world. Bowman has coached Olympians Michael Phelps and Léon Marchand to multiple gold medals and previously coached at Michigan from 2005-2008 and Arizona State from 2015-2024, where he won the national championship with Marchand.

“It’s just kind of a different coaching style,” said Carrozza. “For a non-swimmer, I would say I think Bob just kind of likes to pound yards and get us into really good shape.”

Along with Bowman, one huge addition to the team is transfer Aaron Shackell who won the men’s 400m freestyle at the Olympic Trials and placed eighth at the Olympics.

While the team may look slightly different than last year, the Longhorns still have key returners such as Carrozza and senior Luke Hobson. 

Texas will need that consistency as the Longhorns enter the SEC, where the competition will be much stiffer than the Big 12. The Big 12 has just one ranked team in the preseason rankings, No. 6 Arizona State who joined the conference this year. On the other hand, the SEC has eight ranked teams besides the Longhorns, including No. 2 Florida, No. 8 Georgia, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 16 Auburn, No. 17 Alabama, No. 23 Louisiana State and No. 25 Kentucky. 

Even with the difficult competition, Carrozza is ready to embrace the opportunity to compete in the SEC.

“We’re definitely gonna be ready,” said Carrozza. “We’ve been working really hard already, … and I’m definitely super confident we’ll be ready to go by springtime.”

The team is looking forward to starting off the season well in the Sam Kendrick’s Classic and dual meet against No. 23 ranked Louisiana State.

“I’m looking forward to the racing,” said Carrozza. “We’re all ready; … it’s really about just racing, having fun and seeing where you are in the season.”

Despite being ranked third in the preseason polls, Carrozza emphasized that the team is not focused on expectations. 

“We kind of just focus on what the expectations are day in and day out,” said Carrozza. “And then the rest of the season will take care of itself if we take care of every day first.”