Kennedi Southern, Junior Pan Pacs Bronze Medalist, Verbals To In-State Longhorns For 2028
NEW COMMIT: The University of Texas has earned a verbal commitment for Fall 2028 from in-state standout sprinter Kennedi Southern of Little Elm, about 3.5 hours north of Austin. Southern is a member of the 2026-27 U.S. National Junior Team in the 50 free.
She will join Aubrial Mackay in Austin as a member of the Longhorns’ Class of 2032.
Regarding her commitment, she said:
“After a lot of prayer, thought, and conversations with my family, I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and swimming career at the University of Texas at Austin!
This journey has taken years of hard work, and none of it was done alone. To my mom, thank you for every early morning, every mile driven, and every sacrifice you’ve made along the way. Thank you for supporting my goals and teaching me to work with discipline and humility. To Coach John, Lakeside Aquatic Club, and everyone who has invested in me, thank you for believing in me, pushing me to be better, and helping me grow. And to my teammates and friends, thank you for making this journey so much fun. To the coaching staff at the University of Texas at Austin, especially Coach Carol, thank you for this incredible opportunity. I am honored and excited to become part of your program. I am also incredibly grateful to every program that recruited me throughout this process. I have so much respect and appreciation for the time you invested in getting to know me and supporting my journey. Go Longhorns!
”
Southern earned bronze in the 50m fly and placed 11th in the 50m free at Junior Pan Pacs this past summer. She finished 17th in the 50m fly, 19th in the 50m free and 23rd in the 100m free at Summer Nationals.
Last winter, Southern earned bronze in the 100 free and placed fourth in the 50 free at Juniors West. She then went on to garner gold in the 100 free, as well as silver in the 50 free and 50 fly, at Justin Speedo Sectionals.
Her best times include:
- 50 free – 22.34 (22.03 relay split)
- 100 free – 48.52
- 200 free – 1:50.77
- 100 fly – 54.69
- 100 back – 55.71
Southern trains year-round with Lakeside Aquatic Club.
Southern’s best times in the 50 free and 100 free are already fast enough to have scored in the B-final at last year’s Southeastern Conference Championships.
Texas won their second consecutive SEC Championship – and 38th overall conference title – in 2026, collecting seven gold medals and 21 total podium finishes during the conference meet. The Longhorns then finished third at the 2026 NCAA Championships, their sixth straight top-3 finish under head coach Carol Capitani.
If you have a commitment to share, please send a photo and quote via email to hs@swimmingworld.com.
