The national championship banner was unveiled, the seniors were celebrated and bit by bit, the fastest are getting faster.

The No. 1 Texas men’s swimming and diving team moved to 2-0 on Friday after beating the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers with a resounding 120-65 win, a result spearheaded by juniors Will Modglin and Rex Maurer both receiving two first-place finishes.

Maurer started hot right off the block in the 1000-yard freestyle event. Finding a first-place finish, Maurer secured nine points for Texas with a time of 8:42.30. Possibly the fastest man in that pool Friday, Maurer had his eyes set on a record.

“I was trying to go for the 8:33 (pool) record,” Maurer said. “I took it out, and I wasn’t really able to hang on, but I was really proud of my race execution today. (In) all of them, I was aggressive.”

Maurer carried that momentum 10 events later into the 400-yard individual medley, leading the pack with a time of 3:41.19. As the first man to touch the wall in an event that saw Texas sweep the podium, he bore witness to the payoff of the team’s grind.

“We’re evolving, meshing and clicking well,” Maurer said. “We have high expectations for the end of the season … so we just have to keep taking the steps that are necessary to accomplish our goals, and I think we’re on the right path. 

Modglin would take a bit longer to get going. After finishing third with his group in the 200-yard freestyle relay, his name would be called for the 200-yard backstroke. Modglin barely snuck in a third-place finish in the same event just over two weeks ago. This time, there was no sneaking.   

When Texas once again swept the podium, Modglin secured the top spot. With a time of 1:39.41, nearly two seconds faster than his previous result, it would appear that he’d finally figured it out.

If football is a game of inches, swimming is a game of mere milliseconds. If not properly executed, the most minuscule movements can have immense consequences. That’s not just an opinion — it’s a philosophy head coach Bob Bowman preaches tirelessly.

“They’re paying more attention to the details now, and that’s really what’s going to matter,” Bowman said. “Everybody’s working hard, but it’s the people who can work hard on the small things and get that right in competition who are going to be at the top when we get to the end of the season, and I think they’ve embraced that.”

That stood to be true when Modglin stepped up for a shot at relay redemption in the 400-yard medley relay. Being the first man off the block, he set the pace as the only swimmer with a 21-second split, finishing with a time of 21.31. The strong start proved to be the spark for Texas’ relay flame, as Modglin’s fellow swimmers would lock in another 11 points for the team.

The dual meet marked the last home matchup for the Longhorns, with fans having to wait until Jan. 30 to watch the team compete against the Texas A&M Aggies for its final dual meet of the season in College Station, Texas.