Michael Houlie On Transition to US, First SEC’s (Video)

2019 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 19 – Saturday, February 23
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Texas A&M Women (3x), Florida men (6x)(results)
• Live results
• Live Video – SEC Network
• Championship Central

^{Reported by Torrey Hart.}

Two-time Junior Worlds finalist Michael Houlie graduated from high school in December and began training with the University of Tennesee just two days before his first meet in January, head coach Matt Kredich told SwimSwam. Houlie, a South Africa native, was not permitted to join the team until he was officially matriculated into school. So the 17-year-old forwent winter training camp, jumping into college swimming in the midst of the championship season stretch.

“Ordinarily [joining mid-year] is a real challenge for that person. We’ve had a few people do it and it’s challenging because they’re typically the only person who’s going through what they’re going through,” said Kredich. “They join a class that came in four months before, and that class is already bonded. They’ve been introduced to the training, the academic culture.”

“But Michael is just an extraordinary young man and it seemed like after a couple of days that he had been here all along… He’s just a tremendously magnetic personality and he seems to be able to be at home almost anywhere that he is. He was thrilled to be here and the team just brought him in immediately, and although I’m sure he’s had an adjustment period to the training and to the school life, it seems just from my perspective that it’s been as seamless as it could be.”

This transition was completed at the SEC championships, where Houlie scored in both the 100 and 200 breast for the Vols. In the 100, he placed 7th overall in 52.64, after touching at 52.61 in the morning. In the 200, he was 23rd at 1:58.56, after going 1:58.09 in the morning.