The Longhorns won the 2026 NCAA championship Saturday in Atlanta on the back of Hubert Kos’ record-breaking win in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:34.13, which broke his own NCAA and U.S. Open meet and program records. Kos has won back-to-back NCAA titles in both the 200 and the 100-yard backstroke.
Texas scored 445.5 points to finish ahead of second-place Florida (416) and third-place Indiana (351). It was the third straight national championship won by Longhorns coach Bob Bowman, going back to his 2024 national title he won with Arizona State.
It was the first team national championship for a Texas men’s or women’s program for the 2025-26 academic year. Texas’ women’s basketball team is playing in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament Monday night, Texas’ baseball team is ranked No. 2 in the country and Texas’ softball team is ranked No. 1.
Over the last six years, Texas has won 14 team national championships by eight different programs.
Texas’ 400-yard freestyle relay team, made up of Kos, Garrett Gould, Rafael Fente-Damers and Kyle Peck, sealed the championship by placing sixth in 2:45.97, which was a program record. And the 200-yard individual medley saw two Longhorns earn All-America honors, including Baylor Nelson, who finished third (1:40.08).
Campbell McKean (ninth) and Nate Germonprez (14th) earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 200-yard IM; Peck was 13th (1:39.94) and Cooper Lucas was 14th (1:40.11) in the 200-yard butterfly; Rex Maurer was 11th (1:38.36) in the 200-yard backstroke and Gould was 14th in the 100-yard freestyle (41.47).
Last year, Kos won three individual titles, setting the NCAA record at 1:34.21 in the 200-yard backstroke.
Texas won last year’s national championship by scoring 490 points. Indiana finished third in 2025 as well as this year.