Luke Hobson Now #5 All-Time, and Continues Texas 500 Free Legacy, With 4:07.39

2023 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 22-25, 2023
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center | Minneapolis, MN
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
• Live Results
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

University of Texas sophomore Luke Hobson put on a master class in the 500 free Thursday night, roaring out to an early lead and never relenting. Swimming side-by-side with teammate David Johnston, Hobson hit the wall in a time of 4:07.37, moving him up to #5 all-time in the event. Johnston made it 1-2 for the Longhorns, finishing 2nd in 4:08.79.

Top Performers, 500 Free

1. Kieran Smith – 4:06.32 (2020/2021)
2. Matthew Sates – 4:06.61 (2022)
3. Jake Magahey – 4:06.71 (2021)
4. Zane Grothe – 4:07.25 (2017)
5. Luke Hobson – 4:07.39 (2023)

Hobson’s swim tonight made him the latest in a long line of successful Longhorn 500 free swimmers. Not only that, but it made him the fastest Longhorn ever in the event, moving him him ahead of previous NCAA champions Townley Haas (4:08.19) and Clark Smith (4:08.42), not to mention Drew Kibler (4:08.26).

While Texas has been known as a 200 free factory under Eddie Reese’s long tenure, the Longhorns have been churning out 500 free aces over the last decade.

Smith and Haas combined to win five-straight NCAA titles from 2015 to 2019, and Georgia is the only other school to claim a men’s title since then — Magahey and Sates won back-to-back titles the last two years.

Hobson looked primed for success tonight after throwing down a 1:29.63 to lead off the Longhorns’ 800 free relay last night. That moved him into a tie for the 4th-fastest performer ever and demolished his previous personal best by over two seconds.

Tonight’s title is the latest swim of an impressive trajectory of swims over the last few years. When he committed to Texas as a high school junior in the fall of 2019, his best stood at 4:27.20. He’d improved to 4:16.56 by the end of his senior year. The transition to college didn’t slow him down at all, as he shredded the 17-18 National Age Group record multiple times last year as a freshman, ultimately going 4:08.42 to take 3rd at last year’s NCAAs.

Hobson is slated to swim the 200 free and the 100 free the next two days. Last year he swam the 1650, but like Haas before him, he’s dropping down the longest event in favor of the 100 free. That may be in part due to the Longhorn’s lack of sprint free depth this year. In fact, Hobson may very well be on Texas’ 200 free relay later this evening.

Update: sure enough, Hobson ended up on the Longhorns’ 200 free relay. He split 18.65 on the anchor leg as the Longhorns went 1:15.58 for a 7th-place finish.