The official University of Texas website, TexasSports.com, has made official what has been rumored for months: Kathleen Hersey is done at Texas.
The official team roster, which listed Hersey’s name for a few months after it seemed clear that she was done, can be seen here. It’s not clear when the move was made official, but my first notice of it was today.
Hersey, who appeared to be done after sitting out Texas’ season-opening upset of Cal, began training with Eddie Reese over the summer. After a highly successful long course season, as juxtaposed to her relatively disappointing NCAA season, she decided that she would prefer to continue training with Reese in preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Though no official announcement has been made about whether or not Hersey will turn pro, she does meet the eligibility requirements for the revised Athlete Partnership Plan that is currently making it’s way through the approval process. The plan, if approved, is expected to pay athletes somewhere in the range of $50,000 a year in exchange for certain promotional appearances.
Thus far, the loss of Hersey has not slowed the Longhorns down much, as they currently sith third in the CSCAA dual-meet poll. Their early season success includes a National Swimmer of the Week honor for breaststroker Laura Sogar, who is already posting times close to, or better than, her 2009-2010 bests. This includes wins over No. 5 California and No. 8 Texas A&M.