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Texas Men Capture Second Consecutive NCAA Title

Mar 25, 2001

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 1-ranked University of Texas men's swimming and diving team captured its second consecutive NCAA title at the 2001 NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 24 at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium. A total of of nine American and eight NCAA records were broken at the meet with the Longhorns setting six of them. The Longhorns claimed its eighth NCAA team title in UT history, after posting 597.5 points and defeating Stanford, who finished second (457.5) and Tennessee (330.5), who placed third. Texas posted a UT record of seven individual titles and four relay championships at the meet.

"This was fun, "said head coach Eddie Reese. "If you go by total points, I don't know if we can call this team the best ever at an NCAA meet, because we would be third on the list. But if you look at the strength of this meet and how fast people had to go, we were the fastest team in the best meet ever. We have never had a team compete like this before and I don't know if we will ever witness such a great meet."

Earning 2001 NCAA Swimmer of the Year honors, Dusing claimed two individual NCAA titles (200 IM and 200 backstroke) and four relay championships (200 and 400 medley, and 400 and 800 freestyle relay) at the 2001 NCAA meet. On Saturday, Dusing won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:41.52, narrowly defeating Stanford's Markus Rogan, who finished second (1:41.64).

He would also lead the Longhorn relay team to an American and NCAA record in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 2:49.80. The foursome of Dusing, freshman Ian Crocker (Portland, Maine), junior Tommy Hannan (Baltimore, Md.) and senior Jamie Rauch (Houston, Texas) broke the NCAA record held by California (2:49.85) in 2000 and the American record set by Texas in 1994 (2:51.07).

Junior Troy Dumais captured the 2001 NCAA Diver of the Year honors after recording his third consecutive title on the three-meter springboard and second-consecutive championship on the one-meter board. In Saturday's platform competition, junior Justin Dumais claimed second-place honors with a score of 564.85, while Troy finished sixth (542.50).

Opening the final day of competition, Michigan's Chris Thompson cruised to an American and NCAA record in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 14:26.62, while his teammate Tim Siciliano followed in second (14:41.84). Texas freshman Michael Halika (Jerusalem, Israel) finished 22nd with a time of 15:29.12 and senior Scott Goldblatt (Scotch Plains, N.J.) (15:23.11) and sophomore Jim Pullin (Monroe Falls, Ohio) (15:26.95) placed 24th and 25th, respectively.

Freshman Brendan Hansen (Havertown, Pa.) swept the breaststroke events, winning Saturday's 200 breaststroke and setting an NCAA and American record with a time of 1:53.11. He also claimed the 100 breaststroke in an American and NCAA record time of 52.35 on Friday. Hansen's 200 time ranks first on the Texas All-time Top Ten Times list and breaks the 11-year-old Americ an record held by Michigan's Mike Barrowman (1:53.77).

"It's amazing," said Hansen. "Mike Barrowman was an idol of mine growing up, so to break his record has been always been a mission of mine. Everyone wanted to do well for the team. We were never out to gain individual honors, but always wanting to help the team. After conference we became a team and now we are the most united team, I have ever been on in my life."

In the 100 freestyle, Anthony Ervin of California won the 100 freestyle in a time of 41.80, tying the American and NCAA record set by Matt Biondi in 1987. Rauch claimed fourth-place honors (42.97) , while Crocker finished fifth (43.18).

Also contributing points for the Longhorns were junior Joey Montague (Houston, Texas), who placed 11th in the 200 butterfly (1:44.58) and senior Tsim Schneider (Davis, Calif.), who touched 15th (1:45.82). Junior Harold Hyde (Austin, Texas) finished 17th on the platform with a score of 433.30.

Leading the Longhorns to back-to-back titles, head coach Reese was honored as NCAA Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his career.