Supporting Stars Break Out for Defending Champion Texas Men at Midseason
The Texas Longhorns assembled a complete roster talented enough to win the NCAA team championship in men’s swimming and diving in the first year under head coach Bob Bowman. The team defeated main rival California by 19 points to complete a dramatic turnaround following a brief dip in the final season under legendary coach Eddie Reese. Texas tapped Bowman to continue on the program’s tradition, and the results have been stellar.
Now, the team is prepping for a title defense with a roster that looks far different. The team’s list of graduated swimmers includes Luke Hobson, the three-time NCAA champion and fastest swimmer ever in the 200 freestyle, as well as sprint standout Chris Guiliano and five-year freestyler Coby Carrozza. Reigning NCAA swimmer of the year Hubert Kos has eligibility remaining, but he has not competed for Texas this fall. Rex Maurer, last year’s breakout star who won NCAA titles in the 500 free and 400 IM, was not close to his best times at midseason.
And even with those limitations, Texas in the driver’s seat in the NCAA men’s swimming landscape thanks to breakout efforts from six less-established swimmers at last week’s Texas Hall of Fame Invitational. The Longhorns now own the top-two times in the country in four separate individual events, with three of the top four times in three events. These six swimmers, three of whom are new to the Texas roster, have combined for just one top-three finish at the NCAA Championships in their careers.
Texas has blasted out in front of the nation in the breaststroke events. In the 100, Nate Germonprez became the fourth-fastest swimmer ever with his time of 49.71 while Campbell McKean (50.37), Will Modglin (50.91) and Will Scholtz (50.95). Those swimmers are all among the six best in the national rankings, with Cal’s Yamato Okadome and Michigan’s Luka Mladenovic the only outsiders among that group.
In the 200-yard race, Scholtz placed 16th in the event at last season’s NCAA Championships, but now he leads the national rankings at 1:49.59 after blasting his previous best time by almost 1.5 seconds. Just behind Scholtz last week was Germonprez, who also had his first-ever sub-1:50 performance (1:49.80) while Baylor Nelson (1:50.71) and McKean (1:51.51) are both top-six in the country.
Baylor Nelson — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
That breaststroke performance from Nelson was a bonus alongside tremendous results in the individual medley races. Nelson is the lone swimmer of the bunch with previous national success and individual SEC titles from his time at Texas A&M, and he has made a leap since transferring to Texas in advance of his senior season. At the invitational, Nelson won the 400 IM in 3:34.83 to move to No. 7 all-time in the event, beating his previous best time by almost three seconds. Only Maurer surpassed that effort at last season’s NCAA Championships.
Not far behind Nelson was Cooper Lucas, who went 3:35.28 to become the 10th-fastest swimmer in history. Add an in-form Maurer to the mix, and Texas likely has three of the top-four 400 IMers in the country alongside Ohio State’s Tristan Jankovics.
Nelson also swam the top time this season in the 200 IM at 1:40.29, with Modglin just behind him (1:40.58), McKean fourth (1:41.06) and Germonprez seventh (1:41.62). Maurer, Scholtz and Camden Taylor all rank among the top-20.
In addition, the Texas men have arguably the country’s top sprint backstroker in Modglin. His 20.00 50 backstroke relay leadoff was the fastest time in history, and later he broke the American record in the 100 back at 43.26, just six hundredths off the all-time best from Kos last March. Modglin also ranks sixth nationally in the 200 back at 1:39.41, giving him four separate events with top rankings.
And you can always count on excellence from Texas in the distance and mid-distance freestyle events. Even with Maurer struggling, Texas swam the fastest time in the country in the 800 free relay by three seconds thanks to 1:31 splits from Nelson, Taylor and Jacob Wimberly, another transfer from Texas A&M who has taken off this fall. Wimberly swam as fast as 1:31.51 in the individual event, surpassing his previous best time by 1.35 seconds. The team also has scoring potential in the longer events from Lucas, Alec Enyeart, Aiden Hammer and veteran David Johnston.
The Longhorns’ roster is far from perfect, and the sprint freestyle events seem particularly problematic without Guiliano and Hobson. Just like last year, Texas is unlikely to score points nationally in the 100 fly, but a returning Kos is the likely candidate to handle the butterfly legs of the Longhorns’ medley relays. Even without him, though, the presence of Modglin and Germonprez on the front half has given Texas the second-fastest times in the country in both medleys at midseason, including an American record in the 400.
If Texas wants to win this title again, Kos will have to be the best swimmer on the roster and again sweep his individual events, and Maurer must return to his mastery from last season. But the likes of Germonprez, Scholtz, Modglin, Nelson and more create a well-rounded, championship-caliber core.
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