The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
No. 3 Women’s Swimming and Diving in third after day three at NCAA Championships
03.19.2021 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Pash earns third-place finish in 200 free to highlight Friday’s action.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The No. 3 University of Texas Women's Swimming and Diving team received points from the 'A' finals in five different individual events and a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay on Friday evening to remain in third place in the team standings following the third day of the NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Texas enters the final day of competition with 224 points in the team standings, trailing only Virginia (344) and North Carolina State (241), while holding a 14-point margin over fourth-place California (210). The Longhorns are seeking their first top-four team finish at the NCAA Championships since a third-place showing in 2001.
Sophomore Kelly Pash claimed a third-place showing in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:43.50 to provide 16 crucial points for Texas. Sophomore Emma Sticklen placed 23rd in a time of 1:46.06.
One night after her runner-up performance in the 500-yard freestyle, senior Evie Pfeifer registered a fifth-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley in a time of 4:05.41.
Freshman Olivia Bray finished seventh in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 51.44, and freshman Emma Sticklen added an 11th-place effort (third in the consolation final) in a time of 51.83. Freshman Anna Elendt placed 12th (fourth in the consolation final) in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 58.93.
Junior Julia Cook claimed sixth place in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 51.32. Less than an hour after her performance in the 100 fly, Bray finished 16th in the 100 back with a time of 52.64.
Junior Paola Pineda, who finished fifth on the 1-meter board on Thursday, also placed fifth on the 3-meter springboard with a six-round score of 351.10 in the finals. Pineda entered the sixth and final round in seventh place, but she rallied to post a score of 67.50 on her final dive, a forward 2 ½ somersault 1 twist pike (5152b), to move up two spots in the standings.
Freshman Bridget O'Neil finished in 17th place with a score of 310.35 in the preliminary round, missing a spot in the 'B' final by just over three points. Sophomore Jordan Skilken placed 36th with a score of 258.15.
The quartet of Cook, Elendt, Bray and freshman Grace Cooper closed out the night with a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:35.84. UT's performance was highlighted by a 23.90 split on Cook's leadoff backstroke leg.
The Longhorns conclude competition at the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 20 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Saturday's action will feature competition in the 1,650-yard freestyle, the 200-yard backstroke, the 100-yard freestyle, the 200-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard butterfly, platform diving and the 400-yard freestyle 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 3 (top 10 teams listed)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
|
1. |
Virginia |
344 |
|
2. |
North Carolina State |
241 |
|
3. |
TEXAS |
224 |
|
4. |
California |
210 |
|
5. |
Ohio State |
177.5 |
|
6. |
Alabama |
155 |
|
7. |
Stanford |
140 |
|
8. |
Michigan |
127.5 |
|
9. |
Georgia |
115 |
|
10. |
Kentucky |
114 |
Players Mentioned
