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Men’s head coach Eddie Reese already has his own Surhoff. Austin came to the school during the 2009-2010 season and immediately made a big impact, as he led the Longhorns in scoring at the 2010 NCAA Championships.
If the Texas women can get the same sort of production from his younger sister Jordan Surhoff, then Carol Capitani will have that ship turned around sooner than anybody could have expected. Jordan today gave her verbal commitment to swim for the Longhorns beginning next fall.
She comes in as primarily a breaststroker, with yards best times of 1:01.80 and 2:15.50 in the 100 and 200. That time in the 100 was 5th-best among all high school juniors last season. With the Longhorns’ premier breaststroker Laura Sogar, one of the best in the country, out of eligibility after this season, the spots on the medley relays will be down to Surhoff and 2012-2013 sophomore Gretchen Jacques for medley relay breaststroke spots. With Jacques showing great potential in the sprint freestyles as well, the addition of Surhoff will give the Longhorns some options.
Surhoff, using her height, especially excels in yards, thoguh she is an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 100 long course.
The Surhoff family lives in Baltimore, where their father BJ played for the Orioles of Major League Baseball. Middle-child Kendall Surhoff is a freshman this year, swimming for their parents’ alma mater North Carolina. There, while Mr. Surhoff was working his way toward a professional baseball career, Mrs. Surhoff (then known as Polly Winde) was an All-American for the Tar Heels – and surely it was her influence, while dad was travelling, that steered them to the water. All three Surhoff children swam for St. Paul’s High School in Maryland and the famed North Baltimore Aquatic Club.
This is Texas’ second major verbal of the fall, as the top recruit from Florida Tasija Karosas, a backstroker, has also committed.
I remember watching dad BJ play for the Brewers in the early 90s. Saw Austin at the trials and wondered if they were related. Great to see his kids following in Mom’s footsteps.