Courtesy: Texas Sports
IRVING, Texas – Texas Men’s Swimming & Diving swept the 2023-24 Big 12 Conference awards, the conference announced on Thursday. The Longhorns recorded a sweep of the awards for the 10th consecutive year and 18th time in program history. The awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Luke Hobson captured Swimmer of the Year accolades for the second-straight year, Nick Harris was tabbed the Diver of the Year and Will Modglin earned Newcomer of the Year honors. Eddie Reese was tabbed the Big 12 Swimming Coach of the Year and Matt Scoggin received Diving Coach of the Year recognition.
Hobson, a native of Reno, Nev., defended his 200 free national title at the NCAA Championships with an American, NCAA, U.S. Open, meet, Texas and pool record swim of 1:28.81. It marked the second time during the meet he had set the American and program record in the 200 free after helping the Longhorns to a bronze medal in the 800 free relay with an opening leg of 1:29.13 as part of Texas’ combined mark of 6:05.33. Hobson also won silver in the 500 free with a swim of 4:06.93 and added All-American honors as part of the 400 medley relay. The junior also placed 11th in the 100 free with a swim of 41.45. He clocked the sixth-fastest swim in UT history during the prelims at 41.35.
Harris, a sophomore from Chester Springs, Pa., won the 1-meter consolation final with 384.20 points at the NCAA Championships and placed 13th on 3-meter with 387.10 points, scoring 13 meet points for Texas. At the Big 12 Championship, he helped Texas win the first-ever Team Diving competition and won silver on 1-meter with 434.65 points. During the regular season, Harris was named the Big 12 Diver of the Week five times, totaling six victories and one runner-up result on 1-meter and two wins and four second place finishes on 3-meter.
Will Modglin, a Zionsville, Ind. native, won the 100 back consolation final at the NCAA Championships, breaking a seven-year-old Texas and Big 12 record time with a time of 44.20. The freshman then helped Texas to an eighth-place finish in the 400 medley relay, splitting 44.32 in the back, the second-fastest time in Texas and conference history. In the 100 back prelims, he touched the wall in 44.58, the fifth-fastest time in Texas history. He also earned honorable mention All-American honors in the 200 back (1:40.27), 200 medley relay and 400 free relay. At the Big 12 Championships, Modglin was named the Swimmer of the Meet after claiming conference titles in the 200 IM (1:41.01), 100 back (44.75) and 200 back (1:39.73), while also helping Texas win the 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay and 200 free relay. During the regular season, he was twice named the Big 12 Swimmer of the Week and twice named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
Reese earned Big 12 Swimming Coach of the Year honors for the 19th-straight year and 22nd time in his career. He guided the Longhorns to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA National Championships, Texas’ 44th consecutive top-10 finish. Reese, who is retiring in June following the U.S. Olympic Trials. Reese helped guide Hobson to the 200 free title and a silver medal in the 500 free, while Texas earned All-American honors from Coby Carrozza in the 500 free (seventh, 4:13.33) and Nate Germonprez in the 200 IM (seventh, 1:40.89). The Longhorns also added a bronze-medal performance in the 800 free relay and 8th place finish in the 400 medley relay. At the Big 12 Championship, the Longhorns won 15 of 18 swimming events, including all five relays. Modglin earned Swimmer of the Meet and freshman Nate Germonprez was named the Newcomer of the Meet.
Scoggin was named the Men’s Diving Coach of the Year for the 12th consecutive year and 18th time overall. All six Texas divers qualified for the National Championship meet, with Noah Duperre scored points in all three events at the national meet, while Harris scored on both springboards and Tanner Braunton on platform. Texas swept the event titles at the Big 12 Championships, highlighted by Braunton, Duperre and Harris claiming the first-ever Team Diving crown. Brendan McCourt captured the 1-meter victory, Duperre won on 3-meter and Braunton took first on platform. Duperre was named Diver of the Meet and Braunton the Diving Newcomer of the Meet.
Mickey Mouse unserious conference