Bob Bowman’s impact on Texas men’s swim and dive was felt immediately on the recruiting front when high-profile swimmer Aaron Shackell transferred from the University of California, Berkeley to the Forty Acres this past spring. Bowman was key to Shackell’s decision to choose Texas after leaving Cal during the fall semester.
“I talked with my coach, and we decided that Texas and Bob Bowman would be a very similar fit … to what I was used to,” said Shackell. “I thought we’d stick with that and then just come out here and try to help Texas win a national championship this year.”
Shackell intended to swim for Cal during his freshman year, but he ended up leaving the team after a rough meet in Minnesota.
“We ended up having our midseason meet in Minnesota and … I kind of already had some doubts about how well I was going to swim,” said Shackell. “And then we went to that meet and it was kind of … my worst nightmare.”
Shackell did not swim to his standards at the meet and felt off during his short time training at Cal. He placed third in the 200m fly final with a time of 1:43.40 and sixth in the 500m freestyle final with a time of 4:22.77. He placed twelfth in the 200m freestyle prelims with a time of 1:36.76 which did not qualify for the final. Shackell’s discomfort and performance at this meet were the main factors that led to Shackell withdrawing from Cal.
“I was way off my times (and) I just didn’t feel like myself, which is like the worst thing as a swimmer,” said Shackell.
After discussing his situation with his coach and parents, Shackell returned to Indiana and trained for the Olympics. He comes from a family of swimmers: both his parents, Nicholas and Ali, swam at Auburn and his father was an Olympian. His younger sister, Alex, qualified for the Paris Olympics in three events.
Shackell did well this summer, winning the 400m freestyle at the Olympic Trials and placing eighth in the Paris Olympics. Shackell was able to take a lot away from his positive experiences at the Olympics.
“Going for the first time was a big step for me, just in gaining confidence and knowing that I’m one of the best swimmers in the country,” said Shackell. “Making an Olympic final is a big accomplishment for me.”
One major part of college swimming that Shackell is looking forward to is being a part of a team and enjoying meets with his teammates.
“I really enjoyed high school swimming with the camaraderie of being a part of a team … so I’m really excited to get back to that,” said Shackell.
As Shackell gets ready for his first season as a Longhorn, he wants to focus on putting in his best work in practice to compete to win it all.
“I just want to … just work as hard as I can; as long as I’m doing that, I have no doubt that I’m going to go out there and help us win an NCAA championship,” said Shackell. “I think that goes without being said that that’s a Texas standard.”
