Maxime Rooney, who last week announced he would leave the University of Florida after three seasons, will transfer to the University of Texas to train under Eddie Reese for his senior season.
New Home! Thank you all for your support and helping me reach this point in my career. pic.twitter.com/6bKlZ2T9Gh
— Maxime Rooney (@Maxime_Rooney) May 1, 2019
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.
Rooney is a huge “get” for Texas after the team fell to Cal at the 2019 Men’s DI NCAA Championships in March. Rooney will join an elite 200 free group that graduated former American record holder Townley Haas (though he’ll presumably stick around as a pro), and still includes Drew Kibler (1:31.76), Austin Katz (who was 1:31.45 on the 800 free relay) and Jake Sannem (1:32.43). Additionally, 200 free American record holder Dean Farris trained with the pro group last summer.
At the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships last July, Rooney finished seventh in the 100 free and 10th in the 200. He holds a best time of 1:47.10 in the 200 LCM free from 2015, and 48.27 in the 100 from last summer. Rooney 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.
If he is transferring to be on a championship team he made a bad decision unless he wants the prestige of being a big 12 champion since that is so difficult to achieve.
At Texas, they won’t make him hold his breath on the last 25 of the 100 fly. Easy call.
How can they make him hold his breath on the last 25?
Oh well all we can do is support him, UF and Texas and hope everyone does great!
alright.good for max. if everything feels good, keep on rocking
new chapter, new belief, refined goals…good luck. hope max makes to tokyo and beyond.
If you can’t beat them…..Join them
I get so mad when someone who doesn’t check this swimming news website every single day like me doesn’t get an obscure reference a commenter makes
In the name of our Lord and Savior Farris, please up your SwimSwam addiction game
What is he thinking… Texas has never had any successful fliers or mid-distance freestylers.. such an immature decision
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I check swimswam everyday for the comments. April 30 was beast! Thanks commenters!
One of the greatest days in commenter history.