MOUNT DESERT — Mount Desert Island High School and MDI YMCA Shark swimmer Ian Carbone has had a dream come true. After signing on to Dusquene University on a full ride scholarship to swim, only to subsequently have the rug pulled out from underneath him when the university decided to eliminate swimming from its programming, Carbone has accepted an offer from the 2010 NCAA Division I National Men’s Swimming Champion, University of Texas at Austin, to compete in their program.

“I haven’t signed all of the stuff yet but it is pretty much a done deal. It feels awesome. Nothing against Dusquene, but Texas is the best,” Carbone said. “I was in disbelief, a good feeling of disbelief.”

While pursuing other colleges that would entertain his goal of continuing to swim, he competed in the YMCA National Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in April. Carbone placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of :57.3 and dropped four seconds off his time in the 200-yard breaststroke, coming in at 2:05.1. That drew the eye of Texas Longhorn head coach Eddie Rees.

The astonished Carbone then got the call. “He called and said he would love to have me down there. He basically just said, ‘If you want to be a part of the team then you can.’”

Carbone has already begun getting back in the water. “I am going to swim this summer and try to get some long course meets in.”

With the way things have panned out, Carbone has ended up in a better situation than he would have been in if things had gone as he had planned with Dusquene.

“It is one of those things that you hope happens but you never really think it could happen,” said Carbone.

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