Texas
Baylor Nelson Wins Three Events As Texas A&M Sweeps SMU
#10/#17 Texas A&M vs. #22/– SMU
- February 2, 2024
- College Station, Texas
- Results
- Final Scores:
- Women: Texas A&M – 176, SMU – 111
- Men: Texas A&M – 190, SMU – 109
Texas A&M hosted SMU on Friday for the Aggies’ Senior Day celebration. Texas A&M came out on top on both sides of the meet, out-scoring the Mustangs by 65-points on the women’s side and 81-points on the men’s.
With their victory, the Texas A&M men moved to 9-0 in dual meets, marking their first undefeated season since 1955-56. On the women’s side, this dual meet marked the final with long-time head coach Steve Bultman, who announced that he will be retiring following the conclusion of the season.
Men’s Recap
Leading the Aggies to victory with three individual wins was Baylor Nelson. The sophomore kicked things off with a dominant performance in the 200 freestyle, clocking a 1:34.07 to come within a tenth of his personal best time in the event. He then led a 1-3 Aggie finish in both the 200 backstroke (1:42.44) and 400 IM (3:45.40).
Also contributing multiple wins for Texas A&M was Alex Sanchez, who posted the top time in both breaststroke events. Sanchez, a senior, logged a 53.34 in the 100 to beat his teammate Logan Brown by about half a second (53.89). In the 200, Sanchez recorded a 1:55.02 to win the event by nearly two seconds.
Despite falling short to the Aggies, the Mustangs saw some promising performances from their grad transfers. One of which was Danny Kovac, who set season best times en route to winning both butterfly events. Kovac, a transfer from Missouri, clocked a 1:42.98 in the 200 fly to improve on his season best from January by about five seconds. He also clocked a 46.04 in the 100 fly, which is a second off what he swam at NCAAs in 2022. Both of his swims rank 2nd all-time in SMU program history.
Jack Hoagland, also a Notre Dame transfer, had a fantastic showing in the 1650. Hoagland took down two program records on his way to winning the event, as he split an 8:53.80 at the 1000 on his way to a final time of 14:44.08. Hoagland’s time currently ranks 6th in the NCAA so far this season.
Jack Forrest, who previously held the school record in the 1650, delivered a victory for the Mustangs in the 500. He stopped the clock at 4:23.53, marking his fastest dual meet time of the season in the event.
Other Event Winners:
- Texas A&M’s ‘A’ team (Shomper, Sanchez, Foote, Reno) clocked a 1:25.35 to beat their ‘B’ team by (1:26.16) in the 200 medley relay.
- Thomas Shomper won the 100 back in 46.87, putting him within a second of his personal best.
- Connor Foote was the only athlete in the field to crack 20-seconds in the 50 freestyle with a winning time of 19.93.
- Collin Fuchs clocked a season best time of 43.50 to win the 100 freestyle.
- Texas A&M’s ‘A’ team (Foote, C. Nelson, Fuchs, B. Nelson) closed the meet with a win in the 200 freestyle relay (1:18.70).
- Victor Povzner swept the diving events for Texas A&M with wins on 1-meter (396.98) and 3-meter (443.78).
Women’s Recap
The Aggies won all but two events on their way to beating the Mustangs by a 65-point margin. Senior Abby Grottle kicked off the individual events with back-to-back victories in the 1000 and 200 free. In the 1000, she knocked over five seconds off her previous best time to post a 9:40.14. She then touched 1st in the 200 free at 1:46.75, which also takes her under her previous personal best in the event.
Freshman Miranda Grana was another key piece to Texas A&M’s victory, as she contributed to the team’s 200 medley relay win in addition to her two individual titles. She delivered a 24.88 backstroke split on the 200 medley relay (1:39.77), then swam a 52.95 in the 100 back to win the event by about half a second. Grana then notched a personal best on her way to winning the 100 fly (53.60).
Grana was joined by Bobbi Kennett, Olivia Theall, and Chloe Stepanek on the 200 medley relay (1:39.77). All three also secured individual wins of their own, with Kennett taking the 100 breast (1:01.5), Theall winning the 200 IM (2:00.60), and Stepanek hitting a 1:56.13 to win the 200 back.
Johanna Gudmundsdottir picked up two wins for SMU across the spring freestyle races. The senior got her hand on the wall 1st in the 50 free at 22.95, making her the only swimmer to break the 23-second barrier. She then led a 1-2 Mustang finish in the 100 free, finishing in 49.50 with her teammate Tiffanie Ruan snagging 2nd in 51.04.
Other Event Winners:
- Freshman Katie Walker won the 200 fly by nearly four seconds with a time of 1:59.61.
- Hannah O’Leary, also a freshman, set a best time by almost four seconds to win the 200 breast in 2:13.19.
- Hayden Miller dominated the 500 free with a time of 4:45.90, putting her about two seconds off her season best in the event.
- Joslyn Oakley swept the springboard events with scores of 315.83 and 371.55 on 1-meter and 3-meter, respectively.
Texas
Court orders Biden admin to stop selling border wall materials, was 'illegally subverting' laws: Texas AG
The Biden administration on Friday said it would stop selling off materials slated to be used to build a border wall ahead of the incoming Trump administration, which has promised to bring back tougher efforts to combat illegal immigration.
The Biden administration confirmed to a court that it will agree to a court order preventing it from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days, allowing President-elect Trump to use those materials, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.
The Biden administration has been auctioning off border wall parts since at least 2023, with parts listed for sale on auction marketplaces, after it abruptly shut down most border wall construction in 2021.
GOP SENATOR MOVES TO BLOCK FEDS FROM DISPOSING OF BORDER WALL MATERIALS AMID AUCTION BACKLASH
President-elect Donald Trump then urged the Biden Administration to stop. Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump’s representatives.
“We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” Paxton said.
“This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda,” he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
In a news release, Paxton’s office said that if the Biden administration disposes of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to an injunction in violation of a court order, “it would constitute unethical and sanctionable conduct and officials could be held in contempt of court.”
Texas has said it intends to do all it can to help the incoming administration build the wall at the southern border when Trump enters office.
The Biden administration abruptly ended border wall construction in January 2021 after 450 miles had been built in the first Trump administration. While border hawks say a wall is a critical tool to stopping illegal immigration, some Democrats have said a wall project is xenophobic and ineffective.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING BIDEN ADMIN’S SALE OF BORDER WALL PARTS: ‘WASTE AND ABUSE’
The auctioning off of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department’s logistics agency told media outlets that the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was now for sale.
Those auctions have continued, with officials in Arizona telling Fox News Digital that auctions have been occurring weekly for some time. The practice drew attention last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona, even though the materials could be used in the next Trump administration.
Trump previously called Biden’s efforts to sell unused border wall materials at a discounted rate “almost a criminal act.”
Trump said the auctions would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to re-purchase the large steel bollards and concrete. He called on President Biden to “please stop selling the wall” and suggested his team would obtain a restraining order to halt the sales.
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“What they’re doing is really an act, it’s almost a criminal act,” he said. “They know we’re going to use it and if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it, and it’ll cost double what it cost years ago, and that’s hundreds of millions of dollars because you’re talking about a lot of, a lot of wall.”
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Brooke Singman and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Texas
Texas Longhorns in Contention for Two Top 2026 Recruits
Although the 2024-2025 football season has yet to subside, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns have already been scoping out the next generation of athletes for their dynasty in the making.
The Longhorns secured the No. 1 recruiting class for 2025, with 25 high school players committed as of Dec. 6 following the early signing period, including four five-stars.
But now the focus has begun to shift over to the class of 2026, and Texas looks to add even more depth and strength to eventually turn into NFL-level talent. With two 2026 commits already making their announcement, four-star quarterback Dia Bell and three-star wide receiver Chris Stewart, Sarkisian continues to make strides toward the future success of his program.
On3’s Chad Simmons revealed his predictions for where the top 2026 recruits would call home on Wednesday and discussed Texas as an option for some of the best in the nation.
Simmons feels the most confident that four-star offensive tackle John Turntine will commit to the Longhorns after visiting the Forty Acres multiple times and building relationships with the football staff. Turntine hails from North Crowley in Fort Worth, making Texas a candidate that’s close to home.
The 305-pound offensive lineman just helped his team win the Texas 6A Division 1 state championship title over none other than Austin Westlake, a former stomping ground for current Longhorn Michael Taaffe, and would certainly make for a promising addition. Other schools in contention for Turntine include SMU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oregon, but On3 rates Texas as having the best chance of recruitment.
“There is real confidence in Austin that Texas feels good about their position with in-state offensive tackle target John Turnstine III,” Simmons said. “He has visited Texas numerous times, and he and his family have really connected with the staff. From Steve Sarkisian to Kyle Flood to recruiting assistants, Turntine has built some strong relationships. The North Crowley star just won a state title and he is expected to take many more visits, but Texas continues to set the pace.”
Another four-star with Texas in his sights is cornerback Davon Benjamin, who listed the Longhorns within his top eight schools on Thursday. Benjamin stands as the No. 4 safety and No. 47 player overall in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. However, Simmons wasn’t positive that Texas would be the one to land Benjamin and predicted the dual-threat athlete to commit to Oregon out of over 30 offers. The Longhorns must compete against football powerhouses such as Georgia, Ohio State, and Miami in order to snag this star recruit.
There’s no doubt that it will be a tight race among all of the best college football programs to formulate a promising 2026 roster, and Texas has a decent head start with the commitment of Bell to help get the ball rolling.
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Texas
Dense fog expected overnight; sunshine to return to North Texas
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