ATLANTA - The Texas Men's Swimming and Diving team made quite the splash on the first day of the NCAA Championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center, securing a solid third place with 72 points. Florida and Indiana are neck and neck at the top, each with 86 points. But the Longhorns aren't just hanging around; they’re making waves with a national title in the 800-yard freestyle relay and an All-America finish in the 200-yard medley relay.
Let's dive into that 800-yard freestyle relay victory. The Texas quartet of Rafael Fente-Damers, Camden Taylor, Rex Maurer, and Baylor Nelson put on a clinic, clocking in at 6:05.82.
They shaved 0.42 seconds off their seed time, capturing their sixth title in this event over the last decade. This win adds to their impressive history, marking their 18th national crown in the 800 free relay.
In the 200-yard medley relay, Will Modglin, Nate Germonprez, Hubert Kos, and Garrett Gould delivered a strong performance, finishing third with a time of 1:20.46. They improved from their seed time of 1:20.85, earning them All-America honors.
Looking ahead to day two, fans can expect some thrilling action with events like the 100-yard butterfly, 400-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, 1-meter diving, and the 200-yard freestyle relay. Preliminaries kick off at 9 a.m.
CT, with finals set for 5 p.m. CT, all streaming live on ESPN+.
Here's a quick look at the top-10 team rankings:
- Florida - 86
- Indiana - 86
- Texas - 72
- Arizona State - 62
- NC State - 61
- Kentucky - 49
- Michigan - 48
- Stanford - 46
- California - 45
- Ohio State - 32
Texas is in a strong position, and with plenty of events still to come, the championship race is wide open. Keep an eye on the Longhorns as they aim to climb even higher in the standings.