2026 College Swimming Previews: #12 Texas A&M Men Aim for Big Year 2 Under Anderson

It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2024 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine. 

MEN’S #12: TEXAS A&M AGGIES

Key Losses: Baylor Nelson (14.5 NCAA points), Rhett Hensley (15 NCAA points), Thomas Shomper (2 NCAA relays), Alex Sanchez (1 NCAA relay), Jacob Wimberly (1 NCAA relay), Travis Gulledge (1 NCAA relay)

Key Additions:  #20 Alejandro Michelena (TX– fly/sprint free), John Simmons (TX– back/free), Bucky Gettys (TX– free)

GRADING CRITERIA

Over the years, we’ve gone back and forth on how to project points, ranging from largely subjective rankings to more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points.’ We like being as objective as possible, but we’re going to stick with the approach we’ve adopted post-COVID. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have posted times that would have scored last year.

Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.

• 5 star (★★★★★) – a rare, elite NCAA group projected to score 25+ points per event
• 4 star (★★★★) – a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event
• 3 star (★★★) – a good NCAA group projected to score 5-14 points per event
• 2 star (★★) – a solid NCAA group projected to score 1-4 points per event
• 1 star (★) –  an NCAA group that is projected to score no points per event, though that doesn’t mean it’s without potential scorers – they’ll just need to leapfrog some swimmers ahead of them to do it

We’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.

Also, keep in mind that we are publishing many of these previews before teams have posted finalized rosters. We’re making our assessments based on the best information we have available at the time of publication, but we reserve the right to make changes after publication based on any new information that may emerge regarding rosters. If that does happen, we’ll make certain to note the change.

2024-2025 Lookback

Blaire Anderson took over the reins of Texas A&M’s program in May of 2024, taking over for longtime head coach Jay Holmes, who had been with the program since 1987 as an assistant, before moving up to the head men’s coach in 2004. In Andersen’s first season with the Aggies, she led them to a 5th place finish at last season’s SEC Championships, behind conference powerhouses Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia, who all went on to finish in the top 10 at NCAAs.

The Aggies moved up four spots to 12th at the NCAA championships last season, compared to their 16th-place finish in 2024. This marked the highest point total and finish for the program since 2021.

• 2025- 12th (95.5)
• 2024- 16th (81)
• 2023- 14th (80)
• 2022- T-19th (44)
• 2021- 10th (151)
• 2020- Canceled due to COVID-19
• 2019- 17th (93)

A majority of the individual points came from the Aggies’ diving team, led by Jaxon Bowshire, Rhett Hensley, and Allen Bottego, who combined for 38 points. Bowshire, as a freshman, finished runner-up on the platform for his lone 17 points. Hensley managed to reach the podium in his final collegiate meet as well, diving to a 4th-place finish on the platform; his 1-meter performance fell just over five points short of making the consolation final in the 1-meter. Bottego’s 3-meter showing translated to an 11th-place finish; the senior gave Texas A&M their lone finalist on the board.

Versatile talent Baylor Nelson nabbed a pair of second swims at NCAAs in between the lane lines. He touched 7th in the 400 IM and 14th in the 200 IM. Unfortunately, the Aggies will be without Nelson and his 14.5 NCAA points in 2025/26 after his decision to transfer to in-state and conference adversary Texas for this upcoming fall.

A bright spot for the Aggies was Connor Foote. Last season as a junior, Foote swam three individual events (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly) and was a part of four of the five NCAA relays for Texas A&M. He made the consolation final in the 50 free, where he finished 10th, earning 7 individual points.

Sprint Free: ★★★

Foote is a big keeper for the Aggies. As mentioned above, he scored his lone individual NCAA points in the 50 free last season, in an effort that didn’t even match his best from SECs a few weeks prior (18.67 at SECs compared to 18.78 at NCAAs). With five of the top 16 at last season’s NCAAs being seniors or 5th years, the door opens up just a bit more for a guy like Foote to sneak into a higher scoring position. Had his performance from SECs been replicated, he would have finished 7th (12 points).

Foote’s 100 free at NCAAs (41.99, 25th) was over a half second slower than his performance at SECs (41.47, 9th). He led off the 400 free relay at SECs even faster in 41.38. Throw that time into last season’s NCAA Champs field, and he would have wound up 12th overall. The 100 free field was even more loaded with senior and 5th-year swimmers, making up nine of the 19 finalists.

Another key component to the Aggies Sprint puzzle is Ben Scholl, who will be competing in his junior year for Texas A&M. Last season, as a sophomore, Scholl swam 18.97 in the 50 free at SECs to finish 10th. He finished a spot outside of the alternates at NCAAs (19th), just missing out on a second swim. His 100 free (41.93) made him the only other Aggie last season to be sub-42. A time that bested his teammate Foote at NCAAs (23rd overall).

Rising sophomore Jacob Wimberly was the clear top guy for the Aggies last year in the 200 free (1:32.86). Aside from Nelson, Wimberly was the only swimmer under 1:36. Unfortunately, the Aggies will also be without his talents after he announced that he will be transferring to  Texas for the upcoming season. 

The Aggies are bringing in three men capable of some sprint free work: John Simmons (43.85/1:35.85), Bucky Gettys (1:37.27), Alejandro Michelena (19.95/44.21/:38.03), and Wesley Foster (44.55/1:37.88), all could find themselves putting in some reps in a few of the shorter free disciplines.

Distance Free: ★

It took 4:13.15 to make finals at NCAAs last season in the 500 free; 10 of those were from the SEC. The Aggies only had one swimmer in contention for any points at SECs, and that was Trey Dickey. The senior ended up 21st at SECs in 4:18.42, over a second off of his best time of 4:17.28, which he set in the prelims.

The 1650 depth was paper-thin; only Dickey and rising senior Batuhan Filiz made up the entirety of the event’s participants for Texas A&M. Dickey finished 17th at SECs in 14:53.63, just under seven seconds faster than his seed time.

The Aggies are not returning anybody under 4:23.66 in the 500 or 15:26.66 in the 1650. The freshman class, however, brings in a sub-4:20 time in the form of Gettys (4:19.26). Although his time coming into the program likely won’t do much past a potential SEC champs swim, Gettys will enter College Station as the likely top option in the 500. His 1650 best sits at 15:13, which would’ve translated to 28th ay SECs.

Backstroke: ★

The Aggies lose their top three 100 back performers from last year in Thomas Shomper (46.01), Nelson (46.29), and Tyler Hulet (46.49), leaving only one returning sub-48 performer in Shawn Mohseni (47.91). The 200 back is much of the same, losing their top two from last season in Shomper and Hulet, while returning a 1:44.63 in Brenden Studdert.

Shomper and Hulet made up the entirety of the SEC scoring for the Aggies in this discipline. Shomper finished 15th in the 100 and 16th in the 200, while Hulet snagged a 22nd-place finish in the 200.

Incoming freshman John Simmons boasts a lifetime best of 46.71 and 1:45.21 in the 100 and 200, respectively, which would have been good enough for 16th and 36th at SECs last season, but outside of an NCAA berth in the 100.

Breaststroke: ★

There were no Aggie representatives in either breaststroke final at NCAAs, but they did manage to send three breaststrokers to the meet. With the departures of Alex Sanchez and Nelson, Travis Gulledge (transferring to Indiana), the Aggies are left very thin in the breaststroke events.

Gulledge, a rising sophomore, ended his freshman campaign as the fastest performer in the 100 breast for the program last season, finishing 9th in both the 100 (51.86) and 200 (1:53.89) breast at SECs. Later at NCAAs, he ended up 36th in the 100 (52.14), adding over a half second from his best he set at the Texas A&M Last Chance meet a few weeks prior of 51.56. That best time would’ve finished 16th overall, leapfrogging him into NCAA scoring range.

Logan Brown will make his return for his junior season with the Aggies. Last season, Brown dropped two spots from his finish at the 2024 SEC Championships in the 200 breast (9th), where he finished 11th in 2025. Other than Sanchez (1:51.87) and Nelson (1:53.09), Brown put up the third fastest 200 breast time for Texas A&M last season in 1:53.37.

Butterfly: ★★

Foote is once again the headliner in the 100 fly for the Aggies, following his 23rd-place (45.17) finish at NCAAs. Had his 4th place time (44.34) at SECs been matched, Foote would have been competing in the consolation final (his time would have been good enough for 10th overall). Whale his time was faster than the year prior at SECs (44.76), Foote dropped a spot in the 100 fly compared to his 3rd place finish in 2024.

The name of the game for Foote will be those early swims. Similar to his sprint free events, as previously mentioned, getting into that consolation or championship final from the morning swims will be the determining factor for his point totals.

Fortunately for the Aggies, they will be returning 2nd-year Roberto Bonilla in the 200 fly, who held the top time in the program last season at 1:43.43. Bonilla did not swim up to his prelim performance at SECs, where he went that top time, sliding down to 22nd with a finals 1:43.79. While an NCAA appearance is still a few time drops down the road, with only a year under his collegiate belt, there is some possibility for Bonilla to reach that Championship threshold.

IM: ★

The loss of Baylor Nelson is felt the heaviest when looking at the IM events. Nelson scored all of his individual points at NCAAs in the 200 and 400 IMs (14th and 7th).

Brown now sits as the top returner in the event with his 1:43.55, a time that finished 18th at SECs, faster than his 2024 time of 1:43.76, but seven spots lower, as he finished 10th in 2024. Wimberly finished 16th in the event last year for the Aggies at SECs in 1:44.59, just behind then senior teammate Munzy Kabbara at 1:44.19.

The 400 IM sees a similar dropoff; this time, it is Bonilla who is the top returner with his 3:47.07, over nine seconds behind Nelson, and over five seconds from Kabbara. They do add AJ Robinson of Aggie Swim Club as a member of the freshman class who enters Aggieland with his 3:49.97, not a time that would have qualified for any final at SECs, but still bolsters the depth in the event.

Diving: ★★★

Diving was a massive factor in the success of the Aggies last season. Returning NCAA runner-up in Bowshire is huge, but the loss of  Hensley and Bottego may be even bigger. Hensley finished 26 spots higher than Bowshire in the 1-meter (19th and 45th). Bottego was 23rd in the 1-meter, and was the only Aggie to qualify for the 3-meter, where he finished 11th.

Although just a sophomore this season, the Aggies will need to lean on other returners, Matthew Aigner, Charles Reuter, and Nathan Stone, to pick up some of those departing diving points.

Relays: ★★★

Texas A&M returns two full freestyle relays (200 and 400), three of four in the 200 medley, and half of their 400 medley for next season.

Both the 200 and 400 free relays stay intact; their highest finishing relay at the 2025 NCAA Championships was their 8th-place 200 free relay, made up of Foote (18.93), Scholl (18.49), Seth Reno (18.87), and Ben Sytsma (18.96). All four returning for the Aggies, while every relay above them had at least one senior or older on their contingent. The 400 free relay was the same first three legs with the addition of an anchoring Wimberly (42.36).

The medley relays will need some retooling with the losses of Shomper (21.50 backstroke leg on 200 medley, 45.16 backstroke leg on the 400 medley) and Sanchez (51.83 breaststroke on 400 medley).  The question will be who to fill in the backstroke, will it be Simmons, Mohseni, or another backstroker to throw their name in the conversation.

Total Stars: 15/40

2025-2026 Outlook

The Aggies are in need of some retooling, but keeping a majority of the relay legs from last season is a win. Looking ahead to 2025–26, the Aggies will lean heavily on Foote, Scholl,  and Bowshire to carry with some NCAA experience, while developing a young freestyle-heavy recruiting class.

The loss of All-American Baylor Nelson in the IM and several veteran backstrokers leaves some notable holes, particularly in the medley relays, but A&M’s sprint depth and diving strength should keep them competitive at the national level. A repeat finish in the top 12–15 at NCAAs is realistic if Foote continues his rise and the relays hold form.

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