The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
Women’s Swimming and Diving finishes third at NCAA Championships
03.20.2021 | Women's Swimming and Diving
The Longhorns record their first top-three team finish at the NCAA meet since 2001.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The University of Texas Women's Swimming and Diving team recorded a trio of impressive individual finishes in both the 200-yard butterfly and platform diving events along with a runner-up effort by senior Evie Pfeifer in the 1,650-yard freestyle to finish in third place in the team standings at the 2021 NCAA Championships on Saturday evening at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. The Longhorns secured their first top-three finish at the NCAA Championship since a third-place showing in 2001.
Texas completed the four-day meet with 344.5 points in the final team standings, trailing only NCAA champion Virginia (491) and North Carolina State (354) while posting a 54.5-margin over fourth-place California (290).
The Longhorns made a huge move by garnering a total of 43.5 points in the 200-yard butterfly, as Texas had three qualifiers in the 'A' final. Freshman Olivia Bray went out extremely fast and registered a runner-up showing in a time of 1:52.87. Sophomore Kelly Pash continued her outstanding individual meet by recording a tie for fourth place in 1:53.42, and freshman Emma Sticklen placed seventh at 1:54.09.
Pash earlier recorded a third-place finish in the 200 free and a seventh-place showing in the 200 IM during the NCAA meet. Sticklen swam a personal-best time of 1:53.56 in the morning preliminaries to earn her spot in the 'A' final.
Pfeifer capped an outstanding individual performance at the national meet with a runner-up finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a school-record time of 15:46.41. Her time broke her own school mark of 15:48.65 set at the Big 12 Championship meet. Pfeifer also finished second in the 500 free and fifth in the 400 IM during the NCAA Championships.
Texas added 26 points from a trio of divers on the platform. Junior Paola Pineda, who previously finished fifth on both the 1-meter board on Thursday and 3-meter springboard on Friday, placed fifth on platform with a five-round score of 304.30 in the finals.
She posted scores of 63.00 or better on four of her five dives in the finals, including identical scores of 67.20 on her first two dives, an inward 3 ½ somersault tuck (407c) and a reverse 2 ½ somersault tuck (305c). Pineda rallied just to make the championship final, as she posted a score of 63.00 on her final dive of the prelims, a forward 3 ½ somersault pike (107b), to climb into sixth spot following the afternoon session.
Sophomores Jordan Skilken and Janie Boyle both advanced to the consolation final, where Skilken placed second (10th overall) with 281.15 points, and Boyle finished fourth (12th overall) with 253.10 points. Skilken posted a score of 60.80 points on her final dive, a back 2 ½ somersault 1 ½ twist pike (5253b). Boyle registered a score of 64.40 points on her final dive, an inward 2 ½ somersault pike (405b). Boyle and Skilken both nearly qualified for the championship final, as Boyle placed ninth in the prelims and Skilken was 10th.
Junior Julia Cook claimed 10th place (second in the consolation final) in the 200-yard backstroke in a time of 1:51.83. Freshman Anna Elendt placed ninth after winning the consolation final in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:06.10. Sophomore Kyla Leibel recorded a 50th-place showing in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 49.43.
The quartet of sophomore Bridget Semenuk, Pash, Cook and Bray closed out the night with a ninth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 3:13.82. UT's performance was highlighted by a 47.72 split on Pash's second leg and a 47.61 split on Cook's third leg.
2021 NCAA Championship Meet in Review
2021 NCAA Championships – Final Team Standings (top 10 teams listed)
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
|
1. |
Virginia |
491 |
|
2. |
North Carolina State |
354 |
|
3. |
TEXAS |
344.5 |
|
4. |
California |
290 |
|
5. |
Alabama |
266 |
|
6. |
Michigan |
224.5 |
|
7. |
Ohio State |
215.5 |
|
8. |
Georgia |
181 |
|
9. |
Stanford |
159 |
|
10. |
Tennessee |
153 |
All-America honors
Olivia Bray (400 medley relay, 100 fly, 200 medley relay, 200 fly)
Julia Cook (800 free relay, 400 medley relay, 100 back, 200 medley relay)
Grace Cooper (200 medley relay)
Anna Elendt (400 medley relay, 200 medley relay)
Kyla Leibel (800 free relay)
Kelly Pash (800 free relay, 200 IM, 400 medley relay, 200 free, 200 fly)
Evie Pfeifer (800 free relay, 500 free, 400 IM, 1650 free)
Paola Pineda (1-meter diving, 3-meter diving, platform diving)
Emma Sticklen (200 fly)
Honorable Mention All-America accolades
Olivia Bray (100 back, 400 free relay)
Janie Boyle (platform diving)
Julia Cook (200 free relay, 200 back, 400 free relay)
Grace Cooper (200 free relay)
Anna Elendt (100 breast, 200 breast)
Kelly Pash (200 free relay, 400 free relay)
Bridget Semenuk (200 free relay, 400 free relay)
Jordan Skilken (platform diving)
Emma Sticklen (100 fly)
School Records set at 2021 NCAA Championship Meet
500-yard freestyle (Evie Pfeifer), 4:35.02
1,650-yard freestyle (Evie Pfeifer), 15:46.41
Players Mentioned
