Texas Longhorns Win 2018 NCAA Championships, 4th-Straight Victory

by Robert Gibbs 139

March 24th, 2018 News

2018 MEN’S NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

It was a wee bit closer than it’d been the past three years, but the Texas Longhorns won their 4th-straight title at the 2018 Men’s NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships tonight.  They won by 11.5 points, easily their narrowest margin of victory in this current streak of victories, and their 2nd-smallest margin of victory ever.  They won by 193 points in 2017, 190.5 points in 2016, and 129 points in 2015.

This is the 2nd four-peat for Eddie Reese, the legendary Longhorns coach who has helmed the Longhorns since 1978.  It’s the 14th overall victory for Reese and the Texas men, given them two more than any other men’s swimming & diving program.

Unlike previous years, the Longhorns had to battle a little more this meet for this win.  A few of their key swimmers were off, and their highest relay finish was 3rd  after winning four last year, but there was enough depth and grit to win out in a very tight race over Indiana and California.

Junior Townley Haas won the 500 and 200 free, and came in 6th in the 100 free, to lead the Longhorns with 53 individual points. Freshman Austin Katz was the only other Longhorn to win a swimming event, earning 35 points with a win in the 200 back and a 4th place finish in the 100 back.

Ryan Harty, Tate Jackson, Jeff Newkirk, Sam Pomajevich, Brett Ringgold, Jonathan Roberts, Joseph Schooling, and John Shebat all also earned individual points for Texas.

Ringgold, Roberts, and Schooling formed the core of a senior class that went undefeated at the NCAA championships, with all three swimmers playing a key role, individually or on relays, each year. 

Also unlike previous years, it was Texas’s divers who provided the margin of victory.  Jordan Windle earned 45 points Grayson Campbell, and Jacob Cornish earned a combined 81 points on the boards for the Longhorns.  

Full Roster

  • Safa Anya – JR
  • Josh Artmann – SO
  • Luke Bowman – FR
  • Jared Butler – SR
  • Grayson Campbell – SO
  • Colter Carman – FR
  • Arthur Cheng – FR
  • Thomas Colket – Redshirt SR
  • Jacob Cornish – SO
  • Townley Haas – JR
  • Ryan Harty – Redshirt SO
  • Max Holter – SO
  • Jacob Huerta – SO
  • Tate Jackson – JR
  • Austin Katz – FR
  • Sam Kline – SO
  • Jack Lanphear – SO
  • JohnThomas Larson – FR
  • Casey Melzer – JR
  • Reed Merritt – SO
  • Braxton Moore – SO
  • Parker Neri – FR
  • Jeff Newkirk – JR
  • Jeremy Nichols – JR
  • Sam Pomajevich – FR
  • Brett Ringgold – SR
  • Jonathan Roberts – SR
  • Joseph Schooling – SR
  • John Shebat – JR
  • Sam Stewart – JR
  • Austin Temple – SR
  • Mason Tenney – JR
  • Preston Varozza – SO
  • Jordan Windle – FR
  • Chris Yeager – FR

Coaching Staff

  • Eddie Reese – Head Coach
  • Matt Scoggin – Diving Coach
  • Wyatt Collins – Assistant Coach
  • Jon Alter – Director of Operations
  • Chase Kreitler – Volunteer Swimming Coach
  • Rick Schavone – Volunteer Diving Coach
  • Ben Rodgers – Swimming Manager

List of Texas NCAA Division I Championships

  • 1981 – 259
  • 1988 – 424
  • 1989 – 424
  • 1990 – 506
  • 1991 – 476
  • 1996 – 479
  • 2000 – 538
  • 2001 – 597.5
  • 2002 – 512
  • 2010 – 500
  • 2015 – 528
  • 2016 – 541.5
  • 2017 – 542
  • 2018 – 449

Final Team Scores

1. Texas 449
2. California 437.5
3. Indiana 422
4. NC State 385
5. Florida 347
6. Southern California 253
7. Stanford 205
8. Michigan 168.5
9. Louisville 156
10. Georgia 129
11. Tennessee 123
12. Auburn 98.5
13. Alabama 95
14. Texas A&M 75
15. Minnesota 67
16. Arizona 64
17. South Carolina 60
18. Harvard 58
19. Purdue 54
20. Arizona St 45
21. Florida St 42
22. Denver 31
23. Missouri 29
23. Notre Dame 29
23. Lsu 29
23. Cornell 29
27. Miami 27
28. Ohio State 25
29. Virginia 19
30. Penn State 14
31. Towson 11
32. Utah 10
33. Duke 9
33. Virginia Tech 9
35. Grand Canyon 7
36. UNC 6
36. Hawaii 6
38. West Virginia 2.5
39. Iowa 2
40. Wyoming 1
40. Southern Methodist University 1

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Steve Wilson
6 years ago

tremendous competition. Congratulations to all the men for a highly competitive contest. Observations: Texas’s winning culture. Tremendous coaching from the staff of IU and tremendous effort the their student athletes. NC State is a force to be reckon with in the future. Hoping ASU can find the right formula to be competitive during the championship season. Auburn?

PsychoDad
6 years ago

Look at the picture above… Eddie holding small trophy and jealously looking into the big one others are holding. He is still hungry for more, my friends.

Tom
6 years ago

I am putting my request for 4 days off for March 27-30, 2019…I do not want to miss watching in person next year! I want to see Townley going for 4-peat next year!

PsychoDad
6 years ago

He is 77, half deaf, walking problems, his heart was repaired, has 14 national championship and cannot wait to start working with next year’s freshmen – Eddie Reese.

Drama King
6 years ago

I think finally credits should give where its due.
This was not an easy journey to Texas. They lost their best scorers from last ncaas. Licon, Conger, Smith won 6 individual events for them. And their relay effect is huge. (They lost diver Anderson too).

So winning this time around was never easy. Cal had the best incoming class. So Eddie went for the hard way. Dont know whether it had worked out well. For some yes , but for some no. Loosing duel meets also not easy man. It lows ur confidence.

Shebat got injured and lost some training time but still came and did well when it counts. Roberts and Townley has been very slow for… Read more »

jvog88
Reply to  Drama King
6 years ago

Wait, why is Schooling holding the trophy in the picture?

j pine
Reply to  jvog88
6 years ago

Maybe because for the past 3 years he was an integral part of their team title?

jvog88
Reply to  j pine
6 years ago

Was* But yeah, yeah, I get it. Senior this, senior that, feel-good story to the pic. Just think it’d be more accurate to see Haas, Shebat, Roberts, the divers more be the face, since they provided more of the win-share this year.

Drama King
Reply to  jvog88
6 years ago

Not just Schooling. Roberts and Ringold also stand there with the trophy and they represent the senior class.

Buona
Reply to  jvog88
6 years ago

May i know what is the problem ? Schooling is 12 times NCAA champion (including relays) so he deserves to carry the trophy.

Overwatch
6 years ago

To all the diving haters, Texas invests money and scholarships into their diving program, because those are points to exploit. It’s strategic. If diving is gone, they reappropriate those scholarships. Hate on diving, but don’t hate on Texas for using a part of the meet to their advantage when other teams they’re competing with won’t invest in it.

Swimmer
6 years ago

Congrats to the a Longhorns. Diving made the difference and Cal handed it to you on a silver platter

Drama King
6 years ago

Last four years, whiners said
Before ncaas ‘Texas will win becoz of Diving.’
for the past 3 years after ncaas – they vanished.
But in this year,
Whiners – ‘Diving should be seperated from the championships’
‘Cal won the swimming championship.’
‘Diving is boring’

Whats really lame is those excuses. Go invest some money on ur diving programs. Diving is no joke. It gives you 14 gold medals at Olympics too.

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