In the college swimming and diving world, Texas is a giant, the top-tier program, and they have the accolades to back it up.
Forty-four Olympians, 72 medals, 14 NCAA titles in the past four decades and the most wins in NCAA swimming and diving history.
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Not to mention the fact that the program is riding a streak of four consecutive national titles, a feat they will look to defend as the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships take place from March 20-23 on the Forty Acres.
Leading this powerhouse program for the past 40 seasons is one man, Eddie Reese.
First up before the NCAAs is the Big 12 Championships, going on now through Saturday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Swimming Center on the UT campus.
“We worked all year to get here and this is your chance to do what you’ve worked to do,” Reese told his athletes after a slow start to the meet. “The adrenal gland is important, you’ve just got to direct it.”
Reese has always given his best at everything he does, especially when it comes to swimming. Like many coaches, he was an athlete before a coach, taking his talents to the pool at Florida.
It was there that he continued his dominance in the Individual Medley along with the 200 breastroke and swam a leg in both the 400 freestyle and 400 medley relays on his way to becoming the first Gator swimmer to win five SEC titles in one season.
Following graduation, Reese followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a coach for the Gators.
Currently, Reese’s grandson, Luke Bowman, is continuing the swimming family tradition and is racing in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events during the Big 12 Championships.
Twelve years after Florida, Reese had transformed Auburn’s swimming and Diving program from worst to first in the SEC when he received a call from UT swim captain Darrell Fick, offering him the job in Austin. Starting that day in 1978, Eddie Reese was ready to conquer and elevate Texas’ program.
Once Reese stepped onto the UT campus, the Texas Swimming and diving program surged upward. They won the 1981 NCAA Championship and a large part due to Reese’s leadership.
As the seasons unfolded over the next few seasons, the Longhorns continued to win by big margins. However, similar to all great coaches, Reese focuses more on how his team can get better, not about past wins.
“I didn’t ever want anything out of this. I never talked about winning the NCAAs, I just had a passion for finding a way to get people to go faster,” Reese told Swim Swam. Another secret to becoming the winningest program in Longhorn history is Reese’s favorite word: fun.
“It’s about whatever fun you can have,” Reese told Texas Monthly. “Swimming is a boring sport, there has to be laughter along the way.”
The final aspect of Reese’s coaching character is his ability to get the team to mesh and encourage one another, something that no doubt has played an important role in this program’s success.
“Every two weeks I talk to them about being positive and encouraging one another,” he said. “On Fridays they come straight in here and each person talks about the good things they have done in school and in the water.”
He also recalls a time in which Australian sports psychologist Wayne Goldsmith came to watch a practice.
In astonishment, Goldsmith told Reese, “They are helping one another with strokes, with strategy and they are encouraging each other. I have been on the decks of 500 pools, and I have never seen that.”
Of course, Reese hasn’t been able to turn UT into a powerhouse all by himself. After all, coaching is only half of winning a national title. He’s needed the help of All-American swimmers and divers on the way to the Horns’ 14 National Titles. Not surprisingly, as most dominant programs go, the team gets better and better each season, and the 2019 squad is no exception.
On the men’s side, they’re headlined by senior Townley Haas, the NCAA record holder in the 200 freestyle and an Olympic Gold Medalist. Along with him is seniors John Shebat and Mason Tenney, both all-Americans and Big 12 record holders. As far as diving goes, 2018 Big 12 Champion Jordan Windle leads a successful group of divers who played a big part in capturing last year’s NCAA Title. With these speedy and talented swimmers and divers, the Longhorns have more than enough talent to capture their fifth consecutive NCAA Title.
As the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships take place, the Horns will be ready to compete. Behind the veteran leadership of Reese and a host of All-American swimmers and divers, every Texas fan can be sure that this successful program will be giving their all as they vie for yet another NCAA Championship victory.
Check out the schedule and results as they happen live here.
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