The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
No. 3 Women’s Swimming and Diving moves into third after second day at NCAA Championship
03.18.2021 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Pfeifer records second-place finish in 500 free with a school-record time of 4:35.02.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The No. 3 University of Texas Women's Swimming and Diving team used a trio of strong individual performances and a third-place showing in the 400-yard medley relay to move into third place after the second day of the NCAA Championship at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Texas enters day three with 119 points in the team standings, trailing only Virginia (184) and North Carolina State (124), while holding a five-point margin over fourth-place California (114).
Pfeifer posted a runner-up finish in the 500 free by recording a school-record time of 4:35.02 to place behind Virginia's Paige Madden (4:33.61). Pfeifer's time eclipsed the previous school mark of 4:35.05 set by Joanna Evans on Nov. 29, 2017.
Sophomore Kelly Pash earned a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley in a time of 1:55.72. Pash had the fifth-fastest effort during the morning prelims (1:55.55).
Junior Paola Pineda placed fifth on the 1-meter springboard with a six-round score of 329.00 in the finals to add 14 points to the team total. Freshman Bridget O'Neil finished in 20th place with a score of 276.30 in the preliminary round, missing a spot in the 'B' final by just over two points. Sophomore Jordan Skilken placed 34th with a score of 254.65.
The quartet of junior Julia Cook, freshman Anna Elendt, freshman Olivia Bray and Pash closed out the night with an impressive third-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay in a time of 3:27.83. The Longhorns touched in fourth place during the race, but California's relay was disqualified by an early take-off from its final leg. UT's performance was highlighted by a 58.05 split from Elendt during the breaststroke leg and 50.43 split by Bray on the butterfly leg.
Texas opened Thursday's finals session by claiming 14 points with a 10th-place showing in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of sophomore Bridget Semenuk, Pash, Cook and freshman Grace Cooper registered a time of 1:28.29. Freshman Emma Sticklen placed 37th in the 50-yard freestyle (22.59).
The Longhorns continue competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Friday's action will feature competition in the 400-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard backstroke, 3-meter diving and 200-yard medley relay.
Prelims start at 9 a.m. CT, and the finals sessions are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. CT on each day. All prelim and finals sessions will be streamed live on ESPN3.
2021 NCAA Championships – Team Standings after Day 2 (top 10 teams listed)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
|
1. |
Virginia |
184 |
|
2. |
North Carolina State |
124 |
|
3. |
TEXAS |
119 |
|
4. |
California |
114 |
|
5. |
Ohio State |
101.5 |
|
6. |
Alabama |
90 |
|
7. |
Georgia |
85 |
|
8. |
Stanford |
84 |
|
9. |
Michigan |
78 |
|
10. |
Kentucky |
65 |
Players Mentioned
