Former Riverview High swimmer named to national team

Aside from making the actual Olympic roster, there is no bigger accomplishment for a swimmer than making your country’s national team.

So excuse Austin Katz for still being a bit unsure of how to act. He’s still trying to process all of this.

Katz, who graduated from Riverview High in the spring and now attends the University of Texas, qualified for the 2017-2018 U.S. national team in the 200-meter backstroke, with the time of 1:56.70 he set at the 2017 World University Games in August in Taipei, Taiwan. He couldn’t guarantee the time would hold up, but he was pretty sure, so he celebrated like any good American would.

“I went and got dinner with some of my friends who were at the meet in Taiwan,” he said. “We went to McDonald’s. We hadn’t eaten cheeseburgers in forever. We all needed to go get an American meal.”

It was made official on Sept. 2. Now, Katz sees his name on a roster that includes Ryan Murphy, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and the world-record holder (51.85 seconds) in the 100-meter backstroke. One of his golds is in the event he and Katz now share. Katz’s qualifying time was 2.51 seconds slower than Murphy’s, but Katz is 18 and Murphy is 22. This is weird for Katz, he said, seeing his name associated with swimmers of this caliber. He called Murphy a role model of his, and said he’s grateful more than anything, because this has been a long time coming.

He missed the team by tenths of a second last year, and it crushed him, he said. He spent all season working harder than ever before, determined not to miss out again.

“Making it this year … ”

Katz trails off mid-sentence before continuing.

“It felt like finally getting back to my plans and what I want to accomplish,” he said. Like all swimmers, Katz is holding out for a future Olympics appearance. This is step one in accomplishing that. 

Katz received plenty of love from family and friends after qualifying, but one comment hit him the hardest. When he got home from the World University Games, his father, Richard Katz, embraced him, and told him three words that still stick in Katz’ mind.

“You did it.”

There are no Olympics this year, but making the roster isn’t meaningless. It gives Katz the option of flying to the U.S. Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs, Colo., whenever he wants to train there. He is also eligible to compete in Grand Prix races against the best swimmers in the world, a priceless experience for his development as a swimmer, among other perks.

“It’s really cool,” Katz said, “but now I have to set my mind toward the next goal and keep working. I can’t just be complacent and satisfied with just making the national team.”

The worst part of all this for Katz? He is ranked 16th in the world for his event, which normally would qualify him to receive a monthly stipend from USA Swimming. He can’t accept it, though, without ruining his eligibility at Texas.

It’s annoying, but I think Katz will be fine, as long as he gets to put on that red, white and blue swimsuit.