Four years ago, Brendan McCourt was training for his senior season at Emmaus and looking forward to defending his PIAA diving championship. He went on to capture back-to-back state titles and a day later, COVID hit and canceled the rest of that year’s swimming and diving state championships.

Now, McCourt is still training, but with slightly loftier goals as he trains with his University of Texas teammates hoping to finish his collegiate career the way it started, with the Longhorns taking the national championship. He also comes into the diving season as a member of the US Senior National Team, a distinction he earned in last year’s NCAA finals.

“It was crazy, because I didn’t even know I had qualified,” said McCourt with a laugh. “I didn’t know going in what score I needed to make the national team or anything, I just was happy I had such a good finals and was happy with my performance.”

A couple days after the finals, McCourt checked his email and saw there was one from USA Diving. Only when he opened it did he find out he had qualified for the National Team with a six-dive score of 388.40.

So, what goes with membership on the US National Team? Turns out that membership has its privileges.

McCourt now does not have to compete in a USA diving meet to secure a spot in the Olympic Trials, which are set for next June at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While he is excited about having been selected for the national team, McCourt is realistic about what it means.

“I’m not letting myself get too excited about making it to the Olympics,” said McCourt, who would have to secure one of just two available spots to make the Olympic team. “It’s going to be a weird experience emotionally because my college career will be over and that will likely be the last time that I compete.

“I can see myself on the board sobbing because it’s my last meet. I just have the approach that I am going to go in and enjoy the experience, have fun, and do the best that I can.”

McCourt has competed at the University of Tennessee and really liked the facility there, so he will come in at least with some familiarity and a level of comfort knowing that he performed well there in the past.

Between now and then though is a final season of college diving and high expectations for Texas.

McCourt is looking forward to the season, which gets underway in about three weeks and runs through March when the NCAA finals will be held in Indianapolis. After that, McCourt will continue to train at the University of Texas before competing at the Olympic Trials in June.

The University of Texas is one of the elite swimming and diving programs in the country and McCourt is coming into his fourth season of competition and memories that have convinced him that he made the right decision to head for Texas after his days at Emmaus were done. In fact, McCourt has fallen in love with the city of Austin, and he plans to settle down after getting his degree in Exercise Science.

With his love for his new home, it’s not surprising that McCourt is working on younger brother Teague to pick the University of Texas after he graduates from Emmaus next spring. Teague is a senior on the Emmaus basketball team and while he does not plan on playing collegiately, he does have Texas on his list according to his older brother.

“I remember going through all of the college choices and everything that you have to consider,” said the older McCourt. “I think he would really love it here and would be just as happy as I have been with the decision. It could work out really well since I am planning on staying here, but we’ll have to see where he chooses. He has to go where he is going to be happy.”