Jack Conger, Joseph Schooling Go #2, #3 Times in Texas Longhorn History in 100 Fly

After a 2nd-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championship meet, and not graduating anybody, there were high hopes for the Texas Longhorns coming into the 2014-2015 season, and so far, they’ve lived up to those expectations.

On Friday night, in finals of the Big 12 Championships, where the program is hardly challenged, Texas had three swimmers go faster than 46 seconds in the men’s 100 fly, all clearing the NCAA Automatic Qualifying Time.

Of the 7 Longhorns in program history to go faster than 46 seconds in this race, four of them are currently active. Jack Conger won the race in 44.78, which is second all-time in school history to only the 44.72 done by future Olympic gold medalist Ian Crocker ( a record that hardly stands a chance of surviving March).

Schooling was 2nd in 44.81, and after becoming the 2nd Longhorn ever faster than 45 in prelims, improved by another tenth in finals.

Those two swimmers are just a sophomore and a freshman, respectively, and on a men’s team could expect to only continue improving.

For this team, the questions of history begin to amass, beyond just where they fit nationally. Is this the best Texas team ever? They certainly don’t yet have the international appeal or accolades of the Crocker-Peirsol-Hansen era, but in terms of how good they are and how deep they are, even in an era where national parity is increasing, has to put this group in that category.

The Longhorns could conceivably put four, or more, swimmers into the A-Final of the 100 fly at the NCAA Championships. They could put three into the A-final of the 100 breaststroke, if things come together for that group. They could win half-a-dozen or more individual titles in March. The Texas men could be looking at leaving home a swimmer-or-two who at the least was capable of scoring at NCAA’s, and at the most is capable of scoring in the A-Final at NCAA’s. If double NCAA Champion diver Michael Hixon hadn’t transferred to Indiana, then this team would be even scarier in context.

Head coach Eddie Reese, at 73-years old, is inevitably on the tail end of his career. He’ll be given the leash to coach as long as he (and/or his doctors) will allow, but the pace clock is rolling. Is he on his last decade at Texas? In his last Olympic cycle? With the masterful team that he’s assembled this season

With the team that he’s assembled this season, he shows that he’s just as relevant as a coach in his 70’s as he was in his 60’s and 50’s. There have been a lot of coaches around the country who have had one eye on this position since Reese had some serious health issues a few seasons back, wondering when it might open up and how to best position themselves for a chance at what has to be considered one of the top three college coaching jobs in the country, at least.

But consider 2015 Eddie’s big wink back to coaches around the country. He will leave eventually, when he’s ready, but in the meantime, he’s going to make sure that whoever comes in after him has a tall, tall order to follow, and that the name of Reese is not soon forgotten.