The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2015
Sport: Swimming (1984-87)
Inducted: 2015
A six-time NCAA champion, 14-time All-American and a 1984 U.S. Olympian, Tori Trees helped Texas win four NCAA team titles. Trees made a significant impact as a freshman during the Longhorns' run to the 1984 NCAA title. She helped Texas win the 400 medley relay, placed second in the 100 and 200 backstroke events and finished 10th in the 200 IM at the 1984 NCAA Championships. Trees also helped the Longhorns to victories in the 200 medley relay and the 800 freestyle relay at the 1984 Southwest Conference Championships. Her momentous freshman season carried her through the U.S. Olympic Trials and on to the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team. She went on to place fifth in the 200m backstroke at the Los Angeles Olympics. Trees won her first NCAA individual title as a sophomore in 1985, when Texas won its second consecutive national title and fourth overall. She won an NCAA title in the 200 backstroke and competed on UT's national champion 200 and 400 medley relays. Trees added a fourth-place finish in the 100 backstroke at the 1985 NCAA Championships. She flourished again at the 1985 SWC Championships and won league titles in the 200 backstroke and the 200 and 400 medley relays. Trees represented the United States for a second straight year at an international meet and competed in the 200m backstroke at the 1985 World University Games. Trees helped UT cement another national title in the 400 medley relay, and her pair of All-America finishes in individual events buoyed the Longhorns to their third straight NCAA title and fifth overall in 1986. She placed sixth in the 100 backstroke and ninth in the 200 backstroke at the NCAA Championships. Trees represented the U.S. for a third consecutive summer and competed in the 1986 Goodwill Games. Trees earned the distinction as a national champion relay swimmer in each of her four seasons as a Longhorn. She helped Texas to victory in the 200 medley relay at the 1987 NCAA Championship meet as the Longhorns claimed their fourth NCAA title in as many seasons. Trees closed out her collegiate career with a pair of All-America individual finishes in the 100 and 200 backstroke events. She is married to former UT national champion swimmer John Smith. They are the parents of UT swimmer Clark Smith, a 2015 NCAA champion in the 500 freestyle who helped the Longhorns win the NCAA team title last March.
