The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Texas-Ex Jill Sterkel tabbed for Texas Sports Hall of Fame induction
11.15.2017 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Former Longhorn Jill Sterkel to be inducted on April 7, 2018.
WACO, Texas – The Texas Sports Hall of Fame announced Wednesday the selection of former University of Texas swimmer Jill Sterkel as one of nine new members into its Class of 2018. The class will be inducted on April 7, 2018 at the Waco Convention Center. Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 567-9561 or by visiting www.tshof.org.
Long before she initially set foot on the Forty Acres, Sterkel was a member of the United States' gold medal-winning 4x100m freestyle relay that stunned heavy favorite East Germany at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Sterkel was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team that boycotted the Moscow Olympics.
As a Longhorn, Sterkel was one of the most decorated collegiate swimmers of her generation. She 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.
Sterkel returned to her native southern California for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and helped Team USA to gold once more in the 4x100m freestyle relay. She made her fourth U.S. Olympic Team at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials contested at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Sterkel won bronze in the 50m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Sterkel went on to serve as the head women's swimming and diving coach at Texas from 1993-2006. She is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Texas Swimming Hall of Fame, in addition to the UT Athletics Women's Hall of Honor, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame and the ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association) Hall of Fame.
Sterkel remains active in Texas Athletics as an assistant athletics director for the T-Association.