Shaine Casas Is Officially Headed to Austin to Join Longhorn Post-Grad Group

World Champion swimmer Shaine Casas is Austin-bound once again. Two weeks after winning 6 medals at the World Short Course Swimming Championships, his biggest international success so far, Casas is heading west on Texas State Highway 21 toward the University of Texas, where he plans to make his new training ground.

After previous attempts were derailed by problems with housing and meeting the requirements of Texas’ pro group, Casas says that signing with an agent has alleviated those issues.

It has been a long-awaited new chapter for the 22-year old. He spent his first 3 seasons of collegiate eligibility at Texas A&M University, where he finished his collegiate career with the maximum three titles in March at the 2021 NCAA Championships: winning the 200 IM, 100 back, and 200 backstroke.

Under the weight of big expectations, Casas wound up missing the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team. His best finish was 3rd place in the 100 back in 52.76, which left him .28 seconds behind runner-up Hunter Armstrong for a spot on the roster.

Then, shortly before the collegiate season began, Casas decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal with plans to transfer to Texas A&M’s long-time rival school the University of Texas. Not long after, though, Casas announced that he would instead go pro, still with his eyes on training under Eddie Reese at Texas.

In October, he told SwimSwam that his plan had hit some hiccups, and that while he was still working his way toward Austin, he would remain in College Station and train under Jason Calanog and the Aggie pro group for the time being.

That led to a redemption of sorts for the south Texas native. As a member of Team USA at the World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi in March, he won 6 medals. That included gold medals in the 100 backstroke individually and as the leadoff leg of the American men’s 200 medley relay.

In that 100 backstroke, he beat out the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist in the event Kliment Kolesnikov of Russia.

He also picked up silvers in the 200 mixed medley relay, men’s 200 back, and men’s 400 medley relay, and a bronze in the men’s 400 free relay.

But Casas said even that success didn’t change his vision.

“Of course I thought about it, but the decision was firm,” Casas told SwimSwam. “I have enjoyed my time at A&M and would do it all over again if I had a chance, but it is time for me to grow and learn with these new experiences I will have training with Eddie and his program.

“Nothing is certain or guaranteed in this sport so I am willing to take any risk to be the best version of myself.”

The next target for Casas will be April’s World Championship Trials – leaving him a tight window to adapt to his new training.