By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
The rich get richer as the University of Texas men have landed yet another elite swimmer to their roster as Chris Guiliano announces his transfer to the Longhorns from Notre Dame.
Guiliano, 21, led the Fighting Irish to a record-breaking season in 2023-24 as a junior, but in the offseason, it was the men’s swimming program was suspended for one academic year after an independent law firm found that most team members engaged in gambling throughout the season.
Prior to the suspension, Guiliano had a breakthrough summer, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team in the men’s 50, 100 and 200 free, becoming the first American male since Matt Biondi in 1988 to do so in all three.
Guiliano went on to have a successful Olympic debut, winning gold in the men’s 4×100 free relay, silver in the men’s 4×200 free relay (prelims) and making an individual final in the 100 free, placing 8th. He was also 17th in the 50 free and 19th in the 200 free.
In early September, Guiliano entered the NCAA transfer portal, remaining adamant that he would pursue graduating at Notre Dame if it was possible.
In his announcing his transfer to Texas on Wednesday, he reiterated that sentiment, saying there’s a path for him to finish his degree at UND.
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Guiliano has one season of NCAA eligibility remaining. Although he didn’t specifically say he’ll be joining the Longhorns this season, that’s the expectation given Notre Dame’s suspension will expire come 2025-26.
He is scheduled to represent the United States at the 2024 Short Course World Championships next month in Budapest.
The addition of Guiliano gives the Texas men and ace in the free relays (not to mention individually), as he’s coming off a standout NCAA campaign that included him sweeping the men’s 50, 100 and 200 free at the ACC Championships.
Guiliano was also 3rd in the 200 free, 4th in the 50 free and 5th in the 100 free at NCAAs last season, his first time cracking an NCAA ‘A’ final in his career after he was 9th in the 200 free and 10th in the 100 free as a sophomore.
Guiliano’s Lifetime Bests (SCY)
- 50 free – 18.43
- 100 free – 40.62
- 200 free – 1:30.36
If Guiliano does join Texas for the second semester in January, he’ll do so alongside Polish backstroker Ksawery Masiuk, who announced he would be heading to Austin in 2025 to begin his collegiate career in September.
In the seven months since Bob Bowman was hired as the Director of Swimming and head men’s coach at Texas, the Longhorns have seen a massive influx of talent on their roster, with the likes of Hubert Kos, Rex Maurer, Aaron Shackell and Ben Sampson transferring over, David Johnston returning from a redshirt season, and the addition of a strong freshman class led by Cooper Lucas and Kyle Peck.
Now with Guiliano and Masiuk joining the mix, Texas promises to make a significant jump up the standings after they finished 7th at the 2024 NCAA Championships, their lowest finish since 2005.
Outside of the NCAA team’s performance, Texas now boasts arguably the best training group in the nation, with pros Carson Foster, Shaine Casas, Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland also training in Austin, not to mention the best male swimmer in the world, Leon Marchand, expected to arrive in early 2025.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Gold Medalist Chris Guiliano Announces Transfer To Texas From Notre Dame