The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Jill Sterkel inducted into Southwest Conference Hall of Fame
10.21.2014 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Four-time U.S. Olympian one of nine inducted into the SWC Hall of Fame Monday in Fort Worth.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Former University of Texas swimmer Jill Sterkel (1979-83) was one of nine inductees enshrined into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame Monday at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth.
One of the most decorated swimmers of her generation, Sterkel won two Broderick Awards as the National Swimmer of the Year (1979-80 & 1980-81) and was selected as the National Female Athlete of the Year in 1981. Sterkel won 16 individual national titles and helped Texas to AIAW national team titles in 1981 and 1982. She earned the maximum of 28 All-American awards in her appearances at the 1980 and 1981 AIAW National Championships and the 1982 and 1983 NCAA Championships. The SWC selected Sterkel in 1992 to its SWC All-Decade (1980's) Women's Swimming Team.
Before her arrival at Texas, Sterkel was a member of the United States' gold medal-winning 4x100m freestyle relay that stunned gold medal-favorite East Germany at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Sterkel was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team that boycotted the Moscow Olympics.
Sterkel returned to her native southern California for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and helped the Americans to gold once more in the 4x100m freestyle relay. She made her fourth U.S. Olympic Team at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials held at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Sterkel went on to win bronze in the 50m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
A former UT head women's swimming and diving coach (1993-2006) and a member of the UT Athletics Women's Hall of Honor, Sterkel currently serves as director of the T-Association.
