Freshman Laon Kim wasted no time making his mark for No. 1 Texas.
In the Longhorns’ first official meet of the 2026-27 season, Kim delivered a standout Friday at the Sam Kendricks Dust Off Your Boots Invitational in Austin, winning the 200 free in 1:35.01 and the 100 free in 43.44 while also helping close out the victorious 400 free relay. The meet took place at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
Kim’s 200 free win came against a high-end field that included Olympians and current professionals Chris Guiliano, who finished second in 1:35.58, and Luke Hobson, who was third in 1:36.74. Later, Kim came back to edge the 100 free as Texas kept rolling through the day.
Sophomore transfer Luka Mladenovic also made a strong first impression. He won the 200 breast in 1:57.82, finished second in the 100 breast at 53.38, and added another runner-up result in the 200 IM at 1:47.17. Senior Rex Maurer gave Texas two more individual victories, taking the 1000 free in 9:03.14 and the 500 free in 4:22.16.
Texas also got production from across the roster in relay and individual events. The professional quartet of Hubert Kos, Jack Kelly, Tyler Ray and Chris Guiliano opened with a win in the 200 medley relay, clocking 1:24.35. Texas’ A relay of senior Will Modglin, Mladenovic, freshman Rowan Cox and sophomore Rafael Fente-Damers took second in 1:25.80.
Maurer’s 1000 free victory set the tone early, and the Longhorns kept stacking wins from there. Professional Jack Wilkening won the 100 back in 46.75, with Modglin third in 47.95.
Sophomore Campbell McKean captured the 100 breast in 53.20, just ahead of Mladenovic. Tyler Ray won the 200 fly in 1:42.48, while junior Cooper Lucas finished third in 1:45.20.
Chris Guiliano won the 50 free in 19.85, with Fente-Damers right behind in 20.08. Kos took the 200 back in 1:43.76, and Modglin was third in 1:49.91. Kos also won the 200 IM in 1:44.54.
Ray added another win in the 100 fly, touching first in 46.04. Cox was second in 48.33, and Kim placed third in 48.66. In the 200 breast, Mladenovic’s 1:57.82 beat McKean by a slim margin, as McKean finished in 1:57.88.
Texas finished the meet by taking the 400 free relay. The Longhorns’ A quartet of Fente-Damers, Maurer, Modglin and Kim won in 2:53.44, finishing ahead of the professional group of Hobson, Wilkening, Ray and Jack Aikins, which was second in 2:54.52.
Texas returns to the pool on Friday, Oct. 9, when it travels to Bloomington, Ind., for a tri-meet against Northwestern and host Indiana.
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