Powerhouse Keller High (Tx.) Swim Teams Under UIL Investigation
Texas’ powerhouse Keller High School swim teams – both the boys and girls – are in the spotlight after The Dallas Morning News reported on May 15, 2025, that the University Interscholastic League (UIL) has opened an investigation into alleged violations by Keller’s swimming program. If UIL finds the program committed violations, Keller could be forced to vacate the Class 6A state championship titles its boys and girls teams won in February 2025.
The inquiry centers on UIL rules governing coach employment and practice schedules. Sources told The Morning News that multiple Keller swimmers reportedly trained with the Lakeside Aquatic Club during school hours and even at the high school pool, under the direction of club coaches rather than school employees. In Texas, UIL rules require that all head and assistant high school coaches be full-time district employees (Section 1202), so having a non-district “club” coach lead a school practice would violate UIL rules. A spokesperson for the UIL confirmed to the Morning News that it has notified Keller ISD and asked the district to investigate, and says Keller is cooperating. Formal findings are pending.
Keller was named Swimming World’s Male High School National Champion for the 2024 season.
Since the Morning News report, Keller officials have been mum. Keller Independent School District confirmed only that head coach Jamie Shults abruptly resigned “for undisclosed reasons” earlier in May – a decision announced just two weeks before the investigation became public. Shults led the Keller teams to unprecedented success at the Austin state meet: the Keller boys won their third straight Class 6A championship, and the girls also won, making Keller the third school in UIL history to sweep both boys’ and girls’ titles in the same season.
Senior swimmer Maximus Williamson was the star of the meet, winning two individual events and setting new national high-school records in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyles. Williamson is bound for the University of Virginia as part of a stellar recruiting class. He competed at Southlake Carroll High School as a freshman, and then transferred to Keller.
The Keller program regularly produces collegiate-level swimmers through its partnership with Lakeside Aquatic Club, and as of the 2024–25 roster, at least 19 of Keller’s boys and 15 of its girls also swam for Lakeside during the club season. The success earned Jamie Shults regional and state coach of the year honors.
The focal point of the investigation is Section 1202 of the UIL Constitution, which governs coaching staff. Section 1202 explicitly states that a school is not eligible for UIL competition unless the head coach and assistant coaches are full-time school district employees. In practice, that means outside club coaches cannot run high-school practices during the school day. The UIL also limits the number of mandatory practice hours allowed for school sports, to ensure club workouts happen on students’ own time. According to parents interviewed by The News, some Keller swimmers were officially enrolled in a school athletics class but allegedly spent that time training with Lakeside club coaches instead – a potential violation of the coach-employment rule and of UIL’s athletic-period policies .