Austin Vacek Transferring from Texas to Texas A&M

Austin Vacek, a swimmer who once drew an “He’s going to make me famous” from University of Texas head coach Eddie Reese, is transferring to Texas A&M University.

Vacek only competed for the Longhorns for one season, the 2013-2014 season, and was removed from the team’s official roster shortly after the end of that season. In that one season, however, he was the Big 12 Champion in the 200 IM (1:46.05) and runner-up in the 400 IM (3:47.30)

“It was definitely a fun year and a half. I learned a lot from (head coach) Eddie (Reese),” Vacek said in an interview with The Katy Rancher in his home town. “I’ve basically just been putting in the work, trying to get better and better every day.”

Since leaving Texas, Vacek has represented the Cy-Fair Swim Club and Katy Aquatics, the latter of which is the team he trained with in Houston as a high school swimmer.

His lifetime bests in short course yards in his best events all came as a freshman at Texas, though his long course times have continued to improve since then.

Lifetime bests (in yards/LCM):

  • 100 free (46.44/53.72)
  • 200 free (1:40.01/1:57.28)
  • 500 free (4:27.84/4:07.61)
  • 100 back (47.95/56.79)
  • 200 back (1:44.55/2:02.07)
  • 200 IM (1:46.05/2:04.01)
  • 400 IM (3:46.42/4:29.59)

His best short course times would’ve ranked him 2nd in a very young Texas A&M IM group last season as well as in the 200 backstroke, where he’ll find as a training partner NCAA qualifier Brock Bonetti.

While Vacek only swam one year at Texas, because of NCAA rules, he expects to join Texas A&M as a junior next season. The University of Texas and Texas A&M have a long-told rivalry that stretches back generations both inside and outside of athletics, but Texas A&M left the Big 12 to join the SEC prior to the 2012-2013 season, dampening that Lonestar rivalry.

 

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texasfan
7 years ago

Only swimmer2016 said he got kicked off, no one else has said that.

texasfan
7 years ago

I heard his parents pulled him due to falling grades. Wasn’t failing but wasn’t excelling. School was more important than swimming

MarkB
Reply to  texasfan
7 years ago

That doesn’t sound like a reason to be kicked off. Always two stories…

MarkB
7 years ago

The quote was actually, “He’s going to make me famous.” Typical Eddie Reece comment. He would never take credit for making a swimmer famous, just that the swimmer is so good, Eddie would finally get “famous.”

swago
7 years ago

Did he get “kicked off”, or was this an intentional move by him?

Swimmer2016
Reply to  swago
7 years ago

He got kicked off

PVSFree
Reply to  Swimmer2016
7 years ago

What happened to get him kicked off?

completelyconquered
Reply to  Swimmer2016
7 years ago

So, how is this a transfer?

swimswammer
Reply to  completelyconquered
7 years ago

starting in one place and ending up in another…

completelyconquered
Reply to  swimswammer
7 years ago

I’d hardly call not being enrolled at Texas for over a year and then going to A&M a transfer.

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Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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