All The Info You Need For The 2025 Eddie Reese Showdown

2024 Eddie Reese Showdown

• January 25-26, 2025
• Austin, Texas
• 25 Yards (SCY)
• Meet Info
• Friday Night Livestream 

One of the most anticipated meets of the NCAA regular season is finally upon us as the Texas Longhorns host Virginia, Arizona State, and NC State for the Eddie Reese Showdown. These are four of the top programs in the NCAA, and each school brings at least one reigning conference championship team to the meet. The four-time defending NCAA champions, the Virginia women won the women’s ACC titles last season, while the Wolfpack took home the men’s trophy. The Texas men and women claimed the Big 12 trophy and the Arizona State men won the men’s PAC-12 title before winning their first NCAA title in program history.

From Paris Olympians to world record holders and NCAA champions, this meet has it all. And the Texas Longhorns are putting on a show to match. Below, find all the information you need to be prepared for the meet. Teams have been revealing entries for the second heats of the Friday night session–the session with the most pomp and circumstance–on social media. At the end of this article is a guide to which swimmers will appear in Heat 2 of each event that will keep updating as entries are revealed.

Event Schedule

Friday Morning — 10 am CT

• 200 medley relay
• 500 freestyle
• 200 IM
• 50 freestyle
• Pros Race

Friday Evening — 5:30 pm CT

• 200 freestyle relay
• 400 IM
• 100 butterfly
• 200 freestyle
• 100 breaststroke
• 100 backstroke
• Diving (last round of 3-meter)
• Pros Race
• 400 medley relay

Saturday Morning — 10 am CT

• 200 backstroke
• 100 freestyle
• 200 breaststroke
• 200 butterfly
• 1650 freestyle
• Pros Race
• 400 freestyle relay

Meet Format

The Basics

• Two heats for every event except relays and the 1650 freestyle
• Each team gets two lanes in each heat, random draw to determine lanes on Friday morning, then rotate
  • Team A: Lanes 1+5
  • Team B: Lanes 2+6
  • Team C: Lanes 3+7
  • Team D: Lanes 4+8
• Max of three entries for each swimmer per session (2 individual, 1 relay)

Scoring

The meet will be scored in two different ways. First, it will be a triple dual meet over three sessions with normal dual meet scoring. Second, a winner will be declared at the end of each session based on championship scoring. Both heats will score, but swimmers will be locked into their heats with championship-style scoring.

• Heat 1 Points Available: 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
• Heat 2 Points Available: 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11 (relays one heat only, worth double)

Know Before You Go

If you plan to attend the Showdown in person, the Friday night session will be the one with the big show. The fun kicks off at 4:30 with photo ops with Bevo XV as part of his 10th birthday celebration. 15 minutes later, photo ops with Eddie Reese and Paris Olympians will begin.

• 4:30: Photo Ops With Bevo XV
• 4:45: Photo Ops With Eddie Reese and Paris Olympians
• 5:30: Session starts

The first 500 fans will receive free Eddie Reese Texas Showdown Koozies, and the Longhorn Band, Texas Cheer, Texas Pom, and Hook’Em will be in the building. Texas has put on a show with several dual meets over the past couple of seasons, so expect more of the same, especially for the on-deck introductions for the second heat of each event.

And, there will be “lappy hour” pricing for alcohol for the whole session.

Can’t make it to the pool? The Friday night session will be live-streamed on SECN+.

Friday Night Showdowns To Watch

The Friday night session features five individual events, two relays, and diving. Teams have begun to post the swimmers they’re fielding in the championship heat of each event, and one of the most exciting parts of a meet that features four of the top programs in the NCAA is that there’s at least one exciting swimmer in each event. Here are four races we’re most excited to watch tomorrow night.

Women’s 100 Fly

Gretchen Walsh (photo: Jack Spitser)

The second event of the session will feature Gretchen Walsh in her first 100-yard fly since she lit up the pool at the 2024 Short Course World Championships. Walsh is the NCAA record holder in this event, which she reset before her fireworks in Budapest, blasting a 47.35 at the Tennessee Invitational. While she’s the clear favorite to win the race, Emma Sticklen has been on fire this year for Texas. She’s made the most waves in the 200 butterfly, but her 100 fly has been on point as well. She’s swum two personal bests (and Texas records) already this season, clocking 49.60 at the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational.

Her teammate Olivia Bray will be in on the action, as will NC State’s duo of Leah Shackley and Tyler Driscoll, both of whom had strong first semesters. Swiss freshman Julia Ullmann has been a key part of the Sun Devil women’s success this season, factoring in the 200 medley relay that’s broken the program record multiple times this season.

While Walsh will likely run away with the win, the placements in the rest of the heat will help decide which teams jump to an early lead and which will have some ground to make up in later events.

Men’s 200 Free

Patrick Sammon (photo: Jack Spitser)

This race should be a barn burner. Texas isn’t pulling any punches by fielding Luke Hobson and Chris Guiliano in the championship final. Hobson is the short-course meters world record holder, the NCAA record holder, and the defending NCAA champion. Guiliano owns the second-fastest lifetime best in the field, a 1:30.36 that makes him the 14th fastest performer in history. Texas has only built on its mid-distance freestyler reputation in the first year of the Bowman era and will look to stamp its authority on this session by going 1-2 in the event.

While Hobson and Guiliano are the pre-race favorites, the other programs entered strong challengers. NC State’s Kaii Winkler is the national high school record holder in the event (1:32.68), and Daniel Diehl was just three-hundredths from his lifetime best (1:32.72) last weekend. Arizona State’s Patrick Sammon was a 2024 NCAA ‘B’ finalist in the event and should be at the heart of the action as well.

Women’s 100 Breast

Piper Enge (photo: Jack Spitser)

Alex Walsh has said she most likely won’t compete in the 400 IM this championship season, where she’s a 2x NCAA champion, and signs in her training are pointing to her taking on the 100 breaststroke on Day 3. If that’s where she decides to focus, she’ll get a look at some of the competition she’ll face in March tomorrow night. This is a strong event for the Virginia women, as they field Walsh and Paris Olympian Emma Weber.

But it won’t just be her teammate Walsh will need to watch. Piper Enge and Abby Arens are the Longhorns’ top breaststrokers after losing Olympians Anna Elendt and Lydia Jacoby this season, and they will be vying for the win.

Weber has the fastest season-best in this field at 58.67, while Enge is just behind at 58.86.

Men’s 100 Fly

Luke Miller (photo: Jack Spitser)

Four of the top eight swimmers in the NCAA this season will be in this championship final. There’s Ilya Kharun, who’s been on fire this season and posted a 43.85 at the Wolfpack Elite Invite, which is second only to Jordan Crooks. Then, there’s Virginia freshman Spencer Nicholas. He’s sitting fourth in the league with a lifetime best 44.41 from the Tennessee Invite, which he followed up with a 43.7 relay split.

NC State’s Luke Miller can fly under the radar, but he finished third at NCAAs last season by breaking 44 seconds (43.90). He owns a season-best of 44.86, which puts him just in front of Texas’ Hubert Kos. Kos switched his focus from IM to backstroke when he began training with Bowman, but he’s showcased his long-course fly speed along the way. He’s putting it to use in yards this year in individual events and on the relays and has already brought his best down to 44.93.

Who’s In The Championship Heats

Here’s how stacked this meet is–we haven’t even mentioned Rex Maurer, who’s hit the ground running at Texas, setting an American record in the 500 freestyle, or Katie Grimes, the two-time Olympian and newest Virginia Cavalier. By speedrunning through the NCAA Championship format in two days, there’s something for everyone at this meet and multiple opportunities to see some of the fastest swimmers in the league face off.

Remember the Friday night session will also include two relays and a pros race.

Women

Men