A Look At Texas’ Power and Depth In the 200-Yard Freestyle
Entries for the 200-yard freestyle at next month’s NCAA Championships won’t be known for a while, but as the University of Texas chases a 16th national title, the event should produce ample scoring for the Longhorns. It’s been that way for decades, the likes of Doug Gjertsen, Josh Davis, Dave Walters, Dax Hill and Townley Haas claiming NCAA crowns under the watch of coach Eddie Reese.
This season, sophomore Luke Hobson ranks as one of the leading contenders for gold at the NCAA Champs in Minneapolis. During last weekend’s dual meet against North Carolina State, Hobson popped a mark of 1:31.89. The same competition saw Carson Foster go 1:32.29, with both men breaking into the top-10 all-time in Texas history. Come the postseason, both men figure to be faster, although Foster may only contest the 200 freestyle in relay duty if he stays with the 400 individual medley.
In a Twitter post on Monday night, former Swimming World staffer Andy Ross, now doing work for World Aquatics, noted the illustrious history of the Longhorns in the 200 free. The school’s all-time rankings reveal that nine men have gone 1:32.29 or faster over eight laps in the short-course pool. Haas highlights the contingent with a mark of 1:29.50.
As one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport, Reese has developed stars across all strokes and distances. Every quadrennial, it is routine for Reese to place multiple athletes on the American 800 freestyle relay. With the Olympic Games in Paris on the horizon, Hobson and Foster are top contenders to represent the United States in the event.
Here is a top-10 look at the power and depth registered by Texas in the 200-yard freestyle.
1. Townley Haas – 1:29.50
2. Drew Kibler – 1:30.28
3. Jack Conger – 1:31.54
4. Dave Walters – 1:31.72
5. Luke Hobson – 1:31.89
6. Maxime Rooney – 1:31.96
7. Ricky Berens – 1:32.01
8. Jeff Newkirk – 1:32.19
9. Carson Foster – 1:32.29
10. Jake Sannem – 1:32.43
