For the second time in program history, Tech hosted NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at McAuley Aquatic Center. The facility, recently named the best nationally in collegiate aquatics by College Ranker, welcomed elite male and female athletes from across the country, with national superiority on the line.
To say that history was made over the course of the championships would be an understatement; 92 records were broken, and at the end of the tournament, two champions were crowned: Texas in the men’s battle, and Georgia in the women’s.
While Tech didn’t find itself in contention for an NCAA title, the Jackets saw four of their own qualify for individual events.
Shortly after breaking teammate Moises Loschi’s record in the 200-breast, sophomore Alex Kimpel qualified for NCAA championship events. With a time of 54.34, Kimpel finished
No. 42 in 100m breaststroke. In addition to that, Kimpel swam and placed No. 47 in the 200m individual medley.
Fellow sophomore Loschi also qualified to compete in the NCAA men’s swimming and diving championships but was unable to compete due to medical issues.
Senior Youssef Hammoud had the opportunity to end his collegiate career on one of his sport’s biggest stages, and he took advantage. While Hammoud didnot set personal records in his farewell, he bested his NCAA times from the previous season, finishing a respectable No. 36 in the 100m butterfly.
As Tech’s first male diver since 2012, Brad Homza competed in both the 1m dive and platform diving at NCAA’s last year. It looks as though Homza is making a tradition of it, as he competed in both events at this year’s championships.
Finishing No. 11 in the one meter and No. 14 in the platform, Homza earned All-American honors. Tech fans can look forward to hearing more about Homza throughout his senior year and potentially even beyond Tech.
After four days of competition, the Jackets finished up the men’s NCAA Championships at No. 37. The result was hardly an embarrassment, but it was a less than stellar ending to the season.
The Texas Longhorns swept the competition and took home another NCAA national title, their twelfth all-time and second in a row. Perhaps even more impressively, Longhorn head coach Eddie Reese has overseen all of the team’s titles, a tenure spanning four decades. The Longhorns’ overall score of 541.5 is the highest from a national champion since Auburn in 2007, giving Texas a 190-point margin over runner-up Cal.
On the women’s side, rival UGA captured the national championship, their seventh in school annals. Per the NCAA, coach Jack Bauerle was chosen as the National Women’s Coach of the Year for the seventh time.
While the Longhorns were a known commodity entering the NCAA Championships, the Bulldogs saw a remarkable turnaround from a disappointing SEC Championship meet in which they broke a six-year streak as the best in the conference. This is their third national championship in the last four years.