Austin, TX

Nate Germonprez Blasts Huge Lifetime Best in 50 Free to Close Out Austin Sectionals

Published

2 years ago

July 15, 2024

Nate Germonprez Blasts Huge Lifetime Best in 50 Free to Close Out Austin Sectionals

2024 AUSTIN SECTIONALS

Rising University of Texas sophomore Nate Germonprez capped the four-day Austin Sectional meet on Sunday with a huge lifetime best in the 50 freestyle.

The 19-year-old Germonprez dominated the 50 free final in 22.49, dropping almost a second off his previous-best 23.28 from 2021. He would have placed 22nd at Olympic Trials last month, where he placed 12th in the 200 IM (1:58.97). Germonprez touched more than half a second ahead of Longhorns classmate Camden Taylor (23.07) at Sectionals as they gear up for their first season under former Arizona State head coach Bob Bowman.

Germonprez didn’t swim the 200 IM on Sunday, but the event still features some impressive finishes courtesy of recent Texas A&M graduate Thomas Shomper and Waterloo Swimming 17-year-old Raphael Wang. Shomper won the battle in 2:03.72, taking almost two seconds off his previous-best 2:05.45 from 2021. The 22-year-old backstroke specialist placed 25th in the 100 back (55.11) and 27th in the 200 back (2:00.23) at Olympic Trials last month.

Wang earned the runner-up finish in the 200 IM with a lifetime best of 2:06.33 as the Duke commit (’25) knocked more than two seconds off his previous-best 2:08.59 from last August.

Recent Texas A&M graduate Chloe Stepanek continued her red-hot weekend with another lifetime best en route to the 200 IM title in 2:17.63. She dropped almost two seconds off her previous-best 2:19.20 from 2022 as the freestyle specialist seeks a fifth-year collegiate destination in the NCAA transfer portal.

Rising Texas A&M sophomore Hannah O’Leary was the only other swimmer under 2:20 in the women’s 200 IM final on her way to 2nd place in 2:19.56. The 19-year-old dropped more than two seconds off her previous-best 2:21.81 from 2022.

The lone high schooler to come away with an individual title on Sunday was Harvard commit (’25) Aliana Marakovic in the women’s 50 free (26.38). The 17-year-old has been as fast as 26.19 last August. Rising Texas sophomore Emma Kern was close behind Marakovic in 26.46, within a few tenths of her personal-best 26.17 from 2022.

Colton Bennett captured the men’s 1500 free crown in 16:27.90, crushing his previous-best 16:34.55 from 2022. The 19-year-old Henderson State commit (’24) beat Travis Ly (16:28.69) by less than a second in a thrilling showdown earlier in the day. Rising Texas A&M junior Kaylee Coffey clinched the women’s 1500 free title in 17:38.42, more than 10 seconds slower than her personal-best 17:27.57 from last July.

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Austin, TX

Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?

Published

9 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?

Austin had a particularly itchy and drippy cedar fever season to start the year. Many winter days, from late December into February, had high or very high ashe juniper (aka cedar) pollen counts.

Central Texas has a year-round allergy season with mold popping up at any time. For the more traditional spring and fall allergy seasons, forecasters at AccuWeather are predicting some of the allergens across the country will be worse this year than average.

Texas, though, is a different story.

For grass allergies, which happen now through September, AccuWeather estimates Austin will have an average season. However, just west of the Interstate 35 corridor in the Hill Country to almost El Paso, that season is expected to be worse than normal.

“Texas may experience above-average grass pollen for a few weeks,” AccuWeather’s allergy report said, “though the season could be shorter-lived compared to northern areas.”

It all depends on the weather

How much rain we get in the next six months and the perennial Texas heat will all affect the growing season for grasses and weeds, as well as the amount of pollen trees produce. The Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers Almanac are both predicting a wetter and warmer spring.

Rain helps plants grow, which can increase pollen production over time. However, rainfall during allergy season can also bring temporary relief by washing pollen out of the air. That’s what we’re expecting this weekend, with our first meaningful rain chance in nearly three weeks. Tree and weed pollen levels might briefly drop, but mold could spike because it thrives in damp, humid weather.

If spring continues with excessive heat like we saw in February, it could limit the growth of some plants and trees. Extreme heat can reduce how much they grow, and how much pollen they produce. On the other hand, if we get a healthy balance of rain and only slightly above-normal temperatures — not extreme heat — pollen counts could climb. That’s especially true as we head into April, typically our windiest month of the year, which helps spread pollen more easily.

How can you treat allergies in Austin?

If you are feeling the effects of allergies, here are some things you can do to lessen them:

Start taking allergy medication at least two weeks before your allergen’s season is supposed to start. Keep taking your allergy medication throughout your allergen’s season, even on low-pollen days.
Vary your allergy medication. You can take a nasal spray, an eye drop and an oral antihistamine at the same time to treat the different symptoms. If one kind of allergy medication isn’t working, consult your doctor about whether you should add a second one or switch out the medication.
Take a shower before going to bed.
Take off outside clothes or shoes when you get into the house.
Do a daily nasal wash such as a neti pot or saline spray.
Consider seeing an allergist to get drops or shots to lessen your reaction to the allergen.

Consider these household tips to improve your chances of keeping allergens away:

Change the filters in your house regularly during cedar fever season.
Vacuum and sweep regularly.
Change your sheets, especially your pillow regularly.
Keep doors and windows closed.
Clean out the vents in your home.
Have your home tested for indoor allergens such as mold.
Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air.
Wear a mask outside or inside while you are trying to lessen the pollen or mold indoors.

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Austin, TX

Texas Primary: Breakdown of Texas races

Published

21 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Democrats tried to stop a mid-decade redistricting effort, but were unsuccessful. Now, we are starting to see some of the candidates emerging in those newly drawn districts. FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski gives a full breakdown.

Posted March 3, 2026 10:32pm CST

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Austin, TX

Remembering Jorge Pederson: Minnesota MMA fighter killed in Austin, Texas, shooting

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Remembering Jorge Pederson: Minnesota MMA fighter killed in Austin, Texas, shooting

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A shooting on West Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, early Sunday morning, killed three people and injured more than a dozen others, according to the Austin Police Department. APD confirmed one of the victims was 30-year-old Jorge Pederson, a Minnesota man who worked as an MMA fighter for the Med City Fighting Championships.

“You meet tons of fighters and there are people that stand above the rest that you find you enjoy or find the most amusing,” MCFC Co-Owner Matthew Vogt said. “He was definitely one of them.”

According to Vogt, Pederson was also the owner of a Minnesota business called Metro Movers. Vogt said the MMA competitor touched everyone’s hearts since his first day of fighting professionally in Rochester.

“As soon as we met him when it was the weighing time, we just loved the guy already because he had a great mission or spirit about him,” Vogt said. “He was a funny guy and great fighter.”

Vogt told KTTC when he first saw the news that Pederson was killed, he could not believe what he saw.

“I was looking, like, ‘Wait a minute. Is this one of his shenanigans or did something actually happen there?’” Vogt said, recalling the moment he saw a social media post regarding the shooting in Austin. “I confirmed with a few people and I’m just like, sometimes, some things happen that you don’t even like, you don’t even know how to respond to it because it’s just so out of left field that you don’t immediately have a response to it.”

MCFC confirmed there is an online fundraiser dedicated to supporting Pederson’s family. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $10,000 has been raised.

“He was someone that always could make anybody laugh,” Vogt said. “Support his family through the fundraiser and take a look at his Instagram especially to see how funny he was.”

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