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SEC Champion Maxime Rooney Announces He’s Leaving Florida

SEC champion Maxime Rooney, who just finished his junior season at the University of Florida, announced Monday morning on Twitter that he will not be returning to the school for senior year. He has also entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

Rooney is a versatile multi-time NCAA qualifier. As a freshman, he qualified in the 400 free relay, 800 free relay, 100 free, 200 free, 500 free. As a sophomore, he went in the 400 medley relay, 800 free relay, 100 free, 200 free, 200 IM.

He showed off his butterfly at the 2019 SEC Championships when he won the 100 in 45.06; and was 2nd in the 200 in 1:40.87. He swam the 100 free at SECs as well and was 3rd in the 100 free in 41.74. This year thus marked a massive NCAA event shift, as he entered the 100 fly, 100 free, and 200 fly individually. He finished fourth in the 100 fly in Austin, as well as 30th in the 200 fly and 12th in the 100 free.

He anchored Florida’s fifth-place 800 free relay, going 1:31.60.

Florida men’s head coach Anthony Nesty, who took over the program from Gregg Troy this season, offered a statement on Twitter:

At the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships last July, Rooney finished seventh in the 100 free and 10th in the 200. He was in line to make USA Swimming’s World University Games roster in the 100 free or 800 free relay, but appeared to decline his spot when final rosters were released without him listed.

Rooney is a former national high school record holder in the 200 free, and is the current 17-18 national age group record holder in the same event. He grew up swimming in California for the Pleasanton Seahawks, and is a dual citizen in the Philippines, meaning he could potentially represent the nation in the 2020 Olympics, provided Monday’s announcement is not the end of the road for his swim career.

SwimSwam has reached out to Rooney for more information. 

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Nerdzone
5 years ago

Harvard?

Tea rex
5 years ago

Strange, I remember Maxime started the trend of committing as a hs junior.

13 % Chinese person
5 years ago

I am not Florida Man !

Running start to touch backstroke flags
5 years ago

Shoulda been at Cal… The title machine.

Sccoach
5 years ago

I’m disappointed in the swimswam comment section

How has nobody said this yet???

???

Seriously how???

MAXIME…. GO TRAIN WITH DEAN!!!!!!!!!!!

Sccoach
Reply to  Sccoach
5 years ago

Anybody who downvoted my post needs to go to church and have a serious conversation with god about their decisions in life

Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

It was that no-breath last 25 of the 100 fly.

Swimfan
5 years ago

Maxime, I’m so excited for your announcement as it shows that you are more determined than ever to reach your goals… good for you! I hope to see you at Texas with the 200 beasts but if not… I wish you the best wherever you choose to continue your career.

Derrick Johnson
5 years ago

He’s a Bay Area kid so would think Stanford and CAL could be in the mix?

Karin O
Reply to  Derrick Johnson
5 years ago

Might depend on who takes the Stanford men’s coaching job but my guess is Cal first, Stanford second. He’s a very smart guy so he will be great anyplace.

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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