Eddie Reese: “We never come here to win” (Video)

Reported by Lauren Neidigh.

2017 MEN’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Texas Longhorns are your 2016-17 Men’s NCAA Swimming and Diving champions, marking their 3rd-straight team title. Texas earned a collective 542 points, beating runner-up Cal (349) by 193 points. That’s the 5th largest margin of victory ever behind Stanford’s margins of victory in 1992 and 1998 (276, 204.5) and Auburn’s margins of victory (196.5, 256.5) in 2003 and 2004.

Texas won 11 events throughout the meet, tying their record-high 11 wins in a single NCAA meet, which they set at the 2001 Men’s NCAA Championships.

The seniors played a big role for the Longhorns, as 3 of them were individual event winners: Jack Conger, Will Licon, and Clark Smith. Conger won his first NCAA title in his final individual race, setting a new American Record of 1:37.35 in the 200 fly. Smith set new American Records with his victories in the 500 free (4:08.42) and 1650 free (14:22.41). Licon went out in style, claiming his 3rd-straight 200 breast title in a new American Record of 1:47.91. He also won the 100 breast (50.68) and was co-champion in the 200 IM (1:40.67).

Sophomore Townley Haas repeated as NCAA champion in the 200 free, swimming the 2nd fastest time ever in 1:30.65. The Longhorns also defended titles in the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay. Their additional wins included the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay. They dismantled the NCAA Records in the 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, and 400 free relay. They also set a new American Record with a runner-up finish in the 800 free relay.

Contributing runner-up finishes with some of the fastest times in history were Joseph Schooling, who clocked a blistering 43.75 in the 100 fly to take 2nd, and John Shebat, who was the runner-up in both backstrokes in 44.35/1:37.24.

2016-2017 National Champion Texas Longhorns Full Roster:

  • Mark Anderson (senior)
  • Safa Anya (sophomore)
  • Josh Artmann (freshman)
  • Jared Butler (junior)
  • Grayson Campbell (freshman)
  • Thomas Colket (redshirt junior)
  • Jack Conger (senior)
  • Jacob Cornish (freshman)
  • P.J. Dunne (senior)
  • Imri Ganiel (junior)
  • Will Glass (senior)
  • Townley Haas (senior)
  • Ryan Harty (sophomore)
  • Hayden Henry (senior)
  • Max Holter (sophomore)
  • Jacob Huerta (freshman)
  • Tate Jackson (sophomore)
  • Sam Kline (freshman)
  • Jack Lanphear (freshman)
  • Will Licon (senior)
  • Cory Loria (senior)
  • Casey Melzer (sophomore)
  • Reed Merritt (freshman)
  • Braxton Moore (freshman)
  • Jeff Newkirk (sophomore)
  • Jeremy Nichols (sophomore)
  • Sean O’Brien (redshirt senior)
  • Brett Ringgold (junior)
  • Jonathan Roberts (junior)
  • Joseph Schooling (junior)
  • John Shebat (sophomore)
  • Clark Smith (senior)
  • Sam Stewart (sophomore)
  • Austin Temple (junior)
  • Mason Tenney (sophomore)
  • Preston Varozza (freshman)

Coaching Staff:

  • Eddie Reese (head coach)
  • Matt Scoggin (diving coach)
  • Wyatt Collins (assistant coach)
  • Jon Alter (special assistant – operations)
  • Rick Schavone (volunteer diving coach)
  • Chase Kreitler (volunteer coach)
  • Ben Rodgers (manager)
  • Racel Escobedo (diving manager)

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

  1. Texas                             542   2. California                        349
  3. Florida                         294.5   4. NC State                        272.5
  5. Stanford                          242   6. Southern Cali                     237
  7. Indiana                         229.5   8. Univ of Georgia                   183
  9. Missouri                        179.5  10. Alabama                         153.5
 11. Louisville                      143.5  12. Auburn                          127.5
 13. Purdue                          106.5  14. Arizona State                     100
 15. South Carolina                     99  16. Texas A&M                          87
 17. Michigan                           82  18. Wisconsin                          63
 19. Ohio St                          58.5  20. Tennessee                          55
 21. University of Miami                51  22. Virginia Tech                      48
 23. Minnesota                          43  24. Arizona                          36.5
 25. Notre Dame                         29  26. Lsu                                28
 27. Harvard                            24  28. Penn St                            23
 28. Northwestern                       23  30. Denver                             19
 31. Florida State                      16  32. Duke                               12
 33. George Washington                   9  34. Pittsburgh                          8
 35. Cornell                             7  36. UNC                                 6
 37. Kentucky                            4  38. University of Wyoming               3
 39. Hawaii                              2  39. Penn                                2
 39. Missouri State                      2  42. Towson                              1
 42. Yale                                1

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Brad Flood
7 years ago

Class Act x 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000…oh he!!, his picture should be in Webster’s Dictionary next to the word “Class”!

Quote of the Millennium – “…those are Seniors that got better…that’s the name of the game…”

The whole definition of “successful swimming coaching boiled down to 12 words.

This is the one factor that I always observed about Eddie’s teams and always strived to achieve with my teams…getting Seniors to swim their fastest times….easy on paper, probably the toughest thing to do in reality!!!

Jo the swimmer
7 years ago

Such a well spoken person and coach. Those swimmers are very lucky to have a guy like Eddie.

MR2F2BE
7 years ago

Is Townley Haas a senior??

Reply to  MR2F2BE
7 years ago

He’s a sophomore.

Tomas
7 years ago

Liked Coach Reese’s pride in having three seniors who set a combined 4 American records. Kind of gives you perspective and appreciation for the fact that Ledecky as one individual set 9 American Records and 12 NCAA records across 5 different individual events and 2 relays during the course of her Freshman NCAA season for Coach Meehan’s championship team at Stanford.

Prickle
Reply to  Tomas
7 years ago

How did you count 9 American records in five individual events? I couldn’t count that many. Can you please clarify?

Sir Swimsalot
Reply to  Prickle
7 years ago

I think what he’s saying is that she broke the records more than once.

Prickle
Reply to  Sir Swimsalot
7 years ago

Katie Ledecky’s achievements are so numerous and are so outstanding that she doesn’t need any exaggeration. Moreover such attempts do bad job to her reputation of one in generations swimmer.
During her freshman year in Stanford she broke American records in 1650 free, 400IM and 500free (three times). All in yards. I think it by itself is very impressive without even counting her contribution to the records setting 800 and 400 relays.
Nobody needs this “9 in 5” inaccuracy that can only put some shadow of doubts on everything else unbelievable but actually real of what she is doing in the pool.

Cammie
Reply to  Prickle
7 years ago

I think you just did not fully understand what Tomas wrote, or how he wrote it. I understood what Tomas said, the use of “and” and “across.” It was an interesting juxtaposition with Coach Reese’s statement in the video. At least you understand the nature of Ledecky’s outstanding achievements as you say, and that is enough. 9 American records and 12 NCAA records and 4 NCAA Championship meet records and 7 Stanford team records in one NCAA season–whether they are set in 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 events (the Stanford team records were actually broken in 7 events, 200-500-1000-1650 Free, 400 IM, 400 Fr Relay, 800 Fr Relay)–certainly makes a GREAT (GOAT?) season when you couple it with the… Read more »

N P
7 years ago

So, if anybody’s interested, the combined top-15 team rankings (men + women NCAAs) are as follows:
1. Texas – 794
2. Stanford – 768.5
3. California – 715
4. NC State – 466.5
5. Georgia – 435.5
6. Indiana – 414.5
7. USC – 413
8. Texas A&M – 379.5
9. Louisville – 338
10. Missouri – 314.5
11. Florida – 294.5
12. Michigan – 241
13. Minnesota – 211
14. Auburn – 182.5
15. Wisconsin – 161

I hope I didn’t make any mistakes! 🙂

Bigly
Reply to  N P
7 years ago

Florida boosted by zero points from the women’s side. No fault of the women, but for an athletic department that rich and a head coach that smart, there needs to be some reorganization in leadership for the women.

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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