2025 Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite
- May 14-16, 2025
- Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center, Austin, Texas
- Long Course Meters (50 meters)
- Live Results
- Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
The Longhorn Elite Invite continued this morning with prelims from the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center in Austin, Texas. Four events were on the schedule: the 200 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 400 IM, and 100 butterfly.
Only two swimmers cracked the 2:00 mark in this morning’s women’s 200 free. Texas sophomore Erin Gemmell led the field with a time of 1:57.98, less than a second shy of her season-best 1:57.10 from earlier in the month. A silver medalist in this event at the Paris Olympics, she anchored Team USA’s 4×200 free relay with a 1:55.40 split. Her flat-start personal best stands at 1:55.97.
Simone Manuel advanced in 2nd with a time of 1:59.36—about two seconds slower than her season-best 1:57.54 from March, but faster than her prelim time of 1:59.71 at that same meet before she set the season best.
The 28-year-old’s best time remains the 1:56.09 she posted leading off Team USA’s silver-medal-winning 4×200 relay at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju. She finished 7th in the 200 free at last summer’s Olympic Trials but was selected for the Paris prelims relay squad, where she split 1:58.50 on the third leg. Last night, she won the 100 free in 53.11—her third-fastest performance since returning to racing early in 2023.
Two-time Olympic champion Regan Smith sits in 3rd with her 2:00.65 clocking. The 23-year-old won the 200 fly last night and owns a 200 free PB of 1:57.23 from late May of last year. She went on to qualify 1st for the 100 fly final later in the session, notching a time of 58.20 in that race.
20-year-old Rex Maurer led the way in the men’s 200 free with his 1:48.26. The Texas sophomore is fresh off a stellar NCAA season that saw him win national titles in the 500 free and 400 IM, along with a runner-up finish in the mile. Last night, he dropped more than a second off his 400 free best, clocking 3:46.52, just behind Carson Foster’s winning time of 3:46.20.
Maurer’s 200 free personal best stands at 1:47.19 from last summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials, where he placed 11th.
Just behind Maurer this morning was 21-year-old Luke Hobson, who touched in 1:48.38. He’s the reigning SCM world champion and all-time short course meters record holder in the 200 free, who also earned bronze in the event at the Paris Olympics. His current long course best stands at 1:44.79.
Chris Morris logged an effort of 1:49.84 to rank 3rd, with his personal best resting at 1:47.66 from the WI BAC Pettinger Time Trials last May.
Also in the mix is Baylor Nelson, who sits 4th at 1:50.76. A recent transfer to Texas from Texas A&M, Nelson swam prelims of the 4×200 relay at the 2023 World Championships, where the finals team took silver. His lifetime best sits at 1:46.51 from the summer of 2023.
The men’s 200 back final tonight will feature a showdown between the last two world champions. Hubert Kos, a 22-year-old Hungarian native and the 2023 world champion, swam a time of 2:00.66 to move through in 1st. He is also the Paris Olympic champion and holds the Hungarian record at 1:54.14.
26-year-old Hugo Gonzalez, who now represents Texas Longhorn Aquatics after swimming at Cal for several years, recorded a time of 2:03.71. The 2024 world champion placed 6th in the Paris Olympic final, and holds the Spanish record at 1:54.51.
Michael Long from the University of Wisconsin posted a time of 2:03.65, sandwiching himself between the two.
2022 Worlds silver medalist Phoebe Bacon (2:11.37) proved too quick to catch in the women’s race. The 22-year-old, who touched 5th at the Tokyo Olympics and narrowly missed the podium in Paris with a 4th-place finish by just 0.04 seconds, split 30.92/33.44/33.58/33.43 this morning. Her personal best rests at 2:05.08 from the 2022 International Team Trials.
Texas sophomore Campbell Stoll was the only swimmer under five minutes in the women’s 400 IM prelims, clocking 4:55.24. The 20-year-old picked up bronze in last night’s 200 fly (2:12.58), dipping under her previous personal best of 2:12.92 from August 2022 in the process.
In the men’s 400 IM, world record holder and reigning Olympic champion Leon Marchand led the way with a time of 4:12.04. The two-time defending world champion cleared both the French U23 Worlds qualifying mark of 4:13.76 and the automatic selection standard of 4:12.50 for Worlds this summer.
Note: While France generally employs a closed qualifying system at their national championship meet, requiring swimmers to be top 2 and hit a certain time standard, they have made an exception for their Olympic hero, according to Marchand’s American coach, Bob Bowman.
Marchand’s swim also undercut his season best of 4:13.86 from the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series two weeks ago.
Two-time Worlds silver medalist and Olympic bronze medalist Carson Foster logged a time of 4:16.86, while Hubert Kos completed the back end of his double with a 4:18.02.
The men’s 100 fly wrapped up the session, where 21-year-old Ryan Branon (53.40) clocked the only sub-54 outing of the morning, clipping his July best time of 53.42 by two hundredths in the process. This performance backs up his 1:56.45 200 fly best from last night, where he touched 2nd behind Kos.
Of note, Shaine Casas, the most versatile male swimmer on Team USA, opted to not race the 100 fly or 200 free after being entered in both. He stopped the clock at 48.88 to win the 100 free last night.
Marchand 4:07.0. The guy is fine. Big summer incoming
Carsonnnnn, come on dude!
Marchand 4:07 dude is doing just fine
In the IMs at least.
Whatever.
Some said he was washed or in big trouble or Boxall destroyed him.
Not completely the case.
It probably takes more than 2 months to significantly improve one’s stroke anyway – no wonder we aren’t seeing out-of-this-world freestyle times right away. And a new coach always takes some getting used to.
It doesn’t look like he will be challenged in the 400IM this summer.
Agree completely.
I reacted simply to what some had unreasonably said.
and a rib injury too that disrupts his training.
looking forward to see what he could do in 200br tomorrow.
Kos going out in 55.0 is the real story there. Definitely trying to put himself to challenge the WR.
1:55 for Hubert and 2:01 for Modglin, less than a second off his best. I’m thinking we see something fast from Modglin in the 100 back in two weeks
Erin Gemmell 1:56.41, Rex Maurer 1:46.79
Between Rex, Carson, Shaine, Luke, and Chris, the 200 free at trials is going to be absurd to see how many Texas guys make the relay
I’m here for Hubi’s impossible doubles. Maybe it will give him confidence to go for the 200IM/200 back double.
I’m impressed with Kos. Underrated swimmer.
This 1:55.5 is by far his fastest in-season time in the 200 back. Once second faster than he was at the corresponding meet last year.
Me thinks Lochte is going down.
He was out with Peirsol’s record untapered. The back end obviously isn’t there right now, but Lochte should be gettable.
Peirsol going 26.5 and then 28’s the rest of the way feels illegal. I feel Hubert has the capabilty to get by Peirsol eventually, but Lochte for this summer is a good goal en route to Peirsol.
In the “One of the swims you may have missed” category…Michael White from WISC went a 1:58 time trial in the 200 BK after finals Thursday PM.