My Swimming Career
Swimming started for me at 5 years old, and in my entire life I have only ever been on two teams, the Saint Charles Swim Team and the University of Texas Men's Swimming and Diving team. As a kid, SwimSwam, the leading news site for swimming, would post a YouTube video every year called the "Eddie Reese Invite." Watching it year after year was almost like inception, and I just knew I wanted to swim at UT Austin. Along the way I got to swim for two coaches who are both generally considered the GOAT of coaching. The first was the man the meet is named after, Eddie Reese, who I swam under for two years. A coaching change my junior year then brought in Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps' lifetime coach, who coached me for the next two. That stretch included back-to-back NCAA Championship teams in 2025 and 2026 and U.S. Olympic Trials qualifications in 2021 and 2024.
Architecture
One of my favorite things to do is walk the UT campus and look at the old buildings. On those walks the phone goes away and I just look around for cool things, details on facades, stonework, stuff most people walk right past. It's a simple habit, but it never gets old. Somehow every walk turns up something new on a building that has been standing there for a hundred years. Here are a few finds from my walks.
BMWs
My first car was a BMW 335i, which I loved. During my COVID days I picked up an old beat-up 2001 BMW 330Ci with a manual transmission, and that was the car that taught me to drive stick. Old BMWs are my favorite, especially the ones with the small mustaches. Whenever doing the job myself could save some money, the work got done in my own driveway. Over the years that has meant brakes, all the fluids, suspension, intercooler upgrades, and interior renewal.
Hypebeast Days & Reselling
Supreme would drop at 10am every Thursday, and coincidentally that was right around the time I would ask to go to the bathroom so I could load up my checkout bot. Shoes were a big part of it too. Hypebeast is not exactly the word for it though, because for me it was reselling, and as a young kid it was a great way to earn some money. Looking back, it was probably my first real lesson in buying, selling, and knowing what something is worth.
Woods Projects
In high school I took woods for all four years, and it was the only class I can truthfully say I enjoyed every single day and worked hard in. Senior year that work paid off when my high school gave me the Science and Technology senior award. Working with my hands is something I have always enjoyed, and a few of my projects are still being used around the house today.
Cooking
Having friends over and grilling is one of my favorite things to do. Whenever there was any sporting event happening, or any time our guys were international representing America, anyone could come to my house to hang out and eat while we watched them swim. Good food and a full house is my favorite way to watch a meet. Some of my best memories at Texas came from those nights.
