Maxime Rooney Announces Transfer to Texas for Senior Season

Maxime Rooney, who last week announced he would leave the University of Florida after three seasons, will transfer to the University of Texas to train under Eddie Reese for his senior season.

Rooney is a versatile multi-time NCAA qualifier. As a freshman, he qualified in the 400 free relay, 800 free relay, 100 free, 200 free, 500 free. As a sophomore, he went in the 400 medley relay, 800 free relay, 100 free, 200 free, 200 IM.

He showed off his butterfly at the 2019 SEC Championships when he won the 100 in 45.06; and was 2nd in the 200 in 1:40.87. He swam the 100 free at SECs as well and was 3rd in the 100 free in 41.74. This year thus marked a massive NCAA event shift, as he entered the 100 fly, 100 free, and 200 fly individually. He finished fourth in the 100 fly in Austin, as well as 30th in the 200 fly and 12th in the 100 free.

He anchored Florida’s fifth-place 800 free relay, going 1:31.60.

Rooney is a huge “get” for Texas after the team fell to Cal at the 2019 Men’s DI NCAA Championships in March. Rooney will join an elite 200 free group that graduated former American record holder Townley Haas (though he’ll presumably stick around as a pro), and still includes Drew Kibler (1:31.76), Austin Katz (who was 1:31.45 on the 800 free relay) and Jake Sannem (1:32.43). Additionally, 200 free American record holder Dean Farris trained with the pro group last summer.

At the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships last July, Rooney finished seventh in the 100 free and 10th in the 200. He holds a best time of 1:47.10 in the 200 LCM free from 2015, and 48.27 in the 100 from last summer. Rooney was in line to make USA Swimming’s World University Games roster in the 100 free or 800 free relay, but appeared to decline his spot when final rosters were released without him listed.

Rooney is a former national high school record holder in the 200 free, and is the current 17-18 national age group record holder in the same event. He grew up swimming in California for the Pleasanton Seahawks.

 

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Swimmer
4 years ago

If he is transferring to be on a championship team he made a bad decision unless he wants the prestige of being a big 12 champion since that is so difficult to achieve.

Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

At Texas, they won’t make him hold his breath on the last 25 of the 100 fly. Easy call.

googoodoll
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
4 years ago

How can they make him hold his breath on the last 25?

googoodoll
4 years ago

Oh well all we can do is support him, UF and Texas and hope everyone does great!

louiggi
4 years ago

alright.good for max. if everything feels good, keep on rocking
new chapter, new belief, refined goals…good luck. hope max makes to tokyo and beyond.

JoshJ
4 years ago

If you can’t beat them…..Join them

Small bird
4 years ago

I get so mad when someone who doesn’t check this swimming news website every single day like me doesn’t get an obscure reference a commenter makes

The Ready Room
Reply to  Small bird
4 years ago

In the name of our Lord and Savior Farris, please up your SwimSwam addiction game

Swammer
4 years ago

What is he thinking… Texas has never had any successful fliers or mid-distance freestylers.. such an immature decision

Harambe
Reply to  Swammer
4 years ago

SpiderManCopyCat.jpeg

Anonymous
4 years ago

I check swimswam everyday for the comments. April 30 was beast! Thanks commenters!

Swammer
Reply to  Anonymous
4 years ago

One of the greatest days in commenter history.

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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