The Texas women’s swimming and diving program’s national title hopes took a hit on Friday, just hours ahead of the Longhorns’ season-opening meet against Houston.
Texas announced that freshman Jillian Cox, the No. 9 recruit in the class of 2023, will not compete for the Longhorns this season, instead using an Olympic redshirt year to prepare for the 2024 Olympic Trials. The distance specialist dropped more than 10 seconds in the 800-meter freestyle this year training under Longhorn Aquatics head coach Mike Laitala en route to a 6th-place finish at the 2023 World Championships (8:19.73).
“Jillian and (Longhorn Aquatics head coach) Mike (Laitala) are on an absolute roll right now, and we’re 100% behind them,” Texas women’s head coach Carol Capitani said. “At Texas, we firmly believe in the pursuit of excellence. Whether our athletes are competing collegiately, nationally or at the international level, their presence in our training environment elevates everyone’s game. This is about people, not points. We’re confident that the experience of chasing their dreams in this way will leave a lasting impact on their lives.”
Cox’s best 500-yard free time from March (4:37.85) is only about a second shy of what it took to win the NCAA title last season, and she’s just outside of scoring position in the 1650 free.
“I am immensely grateful for my current and future coaches to be working together with my success and goals in mind,” said Cox, who trains at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. “I’ve received nothing but positive support from the University of Texas and my teammates, so I couldn’t ask for a better environment in which to chase my dreams. I’m in a unique position living and swimming in Austin to get the best of both worlds, and I’m excited to see how this year plays out.”
Texas sophomore Lydia Jacoby, the reigning NCAA champion in the 100-yard breaststroke and the defending Olympic champion in the 100-meter breast, will also sit out competition this fall to focus on an “intensive base training block.” The 19-year-old Alaska native is expected to attend World Cup stops in Athens and Budapest before returning to the Longhorns for championship season in the spring.
“I am immensely grateful for the unwavering support I’ve received from The University of Texas and my incredible teammates,” Jacoby said. “Together with my coaches, we’ve made the decision to focus solely on training and recovery this semester, opting to forgo the impact of travel and the stress of dual meets to enhance my preparation for the upcoming Olympic Trials. I can’t express how much my team’s support means to me, and I’m excited to resume competing with the team in January, and together, we’ll prepare for the NCAA season ahead!”
Texas placed 2nd behind Virginia at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row last season with 414.5 points, 127 points short of the Cavaliers.
Why so down on Jillian and Lydia. They are certainly not the only young women taking a redshirt year. Jillian had her breakout swim at the trials probably after she signed her letter of intent. Was there and she was really excited She is 19 and may well drop a lot more time in the next year. Both probablky feel 2024 is their best chance for an Olympic medal.
I don’t believe Coach Capitani is truly that supportive of these decisions! Sorry!
Based on what exactly?
You make a commitment, take the (full) scholarship and the spot on the team, you should swim for the team. There is no I in team.. Olympics or not.
There’s an I in Olympic Team.
She is wasting a scholarship. This is their “shot” at winning! And some inside info!
if you can recruit olympic swimmers to your program, it is the best recruiting tool.
best comment about all of this “stuff”
Having been fortunate enough to meet Carol and Mitch they seem to truly care about their athletes. Will their score take a hit at NCAAs? Sure. Will their athletes feel valued? Absolutely. And that will make for a stronger team going forward.
There are plenty of Olympic hopefuls who honor the commitments they make to their college teams while also pursuing their Olympic dreams. These two choose to put their personal goals ahead of the team goal. Wonder how all the other kids on the team (who just saw the likelihood of winning NCs diminish) feel about their decisions.
Hope both make the Olympic Team!
Even if they don’t, they will have tried and will should have no regrets.
too bad so many think this is the only goal.