The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
Women’s Swimming and Diving preview: NCAA Championships
03.15.2022 | Women's Swimming and Diving
The Longhorns will compete in Atlanta on March 16-19.
Texas at 2022 NCAA Championships
When: Wednesday, March 16 – Saturday, March 19
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
Facility: McAuley Aquatic Center
Watch: ESPN3
Results: Live Stats | Meet Mobile | DiveMeets
Texas' Top Times: 2021-22 | All-Time Top 10 | UT Record Holders
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, Mar. 16, 2022 (Finals: 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET)
Broadcast Links: 200 medley relay; 800 free relay
200-yard Medley Relay: Texas
800-yard Freestyle Relay: Texas
Thursday, Mar. 17, 2022 (Prelims: 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET; Finals: 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET)
Broadcast Links: Prelims; 1-meter trials (11:30 a.m. CT); Finals
500-yard Freestyle: Evie Pfeifer, Erica Sullivan
200-yard Individual Medley: Kelly Pash
50-yard Freestyle: Emma Sticklen
1-meter springboard: Hailey Hernandez, Bridget O'Neil, Paola Pineda, Jordan Skilken
200-yard Freestyle Relay: Texas
Friday, Mar. 18, 2022 (Prelims: 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET; Finals: 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET)
Broadcast Links: Prelims; 3-meter trials (11:30 a.m. CT); Finals
400-yard Individual Medley: Evie Pfeifer
100-yard Butterfly: Olivia Bray, Emma Sticklen
200-yard Freestyle: Kelly Pash
100-yard Breaststroke: Anna Elendt
100-yard Backstroke: Olivia Bray, Julia Cook
3-meter springboard: Hailey Hernandez, Morgan Menninger, Bridget O'Neil, Paola Pineda, Jordan Skilken
400-yard Medley Relay: Texas
Saturday, Mar. 19, 2022 (Prelims: 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET; Finals: 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET)
Broadcast Links: Prelims; Platform trials (11:15 a.m. CT); 1650 free prelims; Finals
1,650-yard Freestyle: Evie Pfeifer, Erica Sullivan
200-yard Backstroke: Julia Cook
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke: Anna Elendt
200-yard Butterfly: Olivia Bray, Kelly Pash, Emma Sticklen
Platform: Janie Boyle, Paola Pineda, Jordan Skilken
400-yard Freestyle Relay: Texas
Meet Notes
Television/Streaming Coverage
ESPN3 will provide digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions Wednesday through Saturday. Additionally, ESPNU will air a two-hour show at 7 p.m. Eastern time, Wednesday, March 30.
Individual Swimming Event Seedings
Olivia Bray is seeded sixth in the 100 back (50.87) and 200 fly (1:52.14), and eighth in the 100 fly (51.03).
Julia Cook is 15th in the 100 back (51.62).
Anna Elendt is third in the 200 breast (2:03.92) and fourth in the 100 breast (57.35).
Kelly Pash is eighth in the 200 fly (1:52.69), 12th in the 200 free (1:43.83) and 14th in the 200 IM (1:55.31).
Evie Pfeifer is 11th in the 1650 free (16:00.28), 17th in the 500 free (4:39.92) and 22nd in the 400 IM (4:08.25).
Emma Sticklen is fifth in the 100 fly (50.76) and seventh in the 200 fly (1:52.47).
Erica Sullivan is ninth in the 1650 free (15:53.80) and 14th in the 500 free (4:39.46).
In the Diving Well
Texas qualified six divers during the three-day NCAA Zone D Diving Championships in Madison, Wis. last week. Jordan Skilken, who won the platform at the Big 12 Championships, and Paola Pineda qualified on the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform events. Hailey Hernandez, the Big 12 Champion on the 1-meter and 3-meter, qualified in both events, as did Bridget O'Neil. Janie Boyle advanced to the NCAA meet on platform, while Morgan Menninger qualified on the 3-meter. All told, the Longhorns have five NCAA Championship competitors on the 3-meter, four on the 1-meter and three on platform.
Team Rankings
Texas is No. 3 in the latest College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) Division I poll (March 9) with 316 points. The top 10 in the rankings includes Virginia (349), Stanford (331), TEXAS (316), NC State (313), Ohio State (274), California (263), Alabama (245), Michigan (231) and Louisville (228).
Storied Program
Texas has claimed a total of nine national titles in its proud history. The Longhorns won AIAW national championships in 1981 and 1982. UT added NCAA team titles in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1991.
Conference Dominance
The Longhorns have captured 10 consecutive Big 12 Conference crowns (2013-22) and 20 overall Big 12 team titles. Texas has won a total of 34 conference championships (14 Southwest Conference, 20 Big 12 Conference).
Head Coach Carol Capitani
Carol Capitani is in her 10th season at the helm of the Texas program. She has led the Longhorns to 10-straight Big 12 Conference crowns (2013-22) and top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championship meet in seven of her previous eight opportunities. The 2020 NCAA Championship meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Big 12 Honors
With stellar performances at the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championship, the Longhorns swept all three individual meet honors. Kelly Pash was named Swimmer of the Meet for the second-straight year, while Erica Sullivan was named Newcomer of the Meet and Hailey Hernandez was tabbed Diver of the Meet.
Seven Longhorn Greats named to CSCAA 100 Greatest Women's Swimmers & Divers
Seven former University of Texas swimming and diving athletes were selected into the CSCAA 100 Greatest Women's Swimmers & Divers of the past century.
Leigh Ann Fetter | Swimming | 1987-1991
During her time at Texas, she became the first woman to swim the 50 freestyle under 22 seconds on her way to her fourth of seven NCAA individual titles. Her time of 21.92 seconds was a Texas record for over 25 years. She was undefeated in her 50 freestyle races and helped Texas to three team titles and later went on to compete at the 1998 Olympics and was named the 1991 Honda Sports Award.
Vera Ilyina | Diving | 1996-1998
Ilyina was tabbed with the CSCAA Diver of the Year award twice in her illustrious career after winning four NCAA Championships, sweeping the 1-meter and 3-meter in 1997 and 1998. She dominated conference awards, being named the Big 12 Diver of the Year in 1997 and 1998 and was the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year in 1998. The four-time Olympian won two medals in the 3-meter springboard synchronized event.
Kim Linehan | Swimming | 1980-1983
Linehan was a dominant freestyler for the Longhorns, winning six individual AIAW event titles and earning 20 All-American honors along the way. Linehan helped Texas to the 1981 and 1982 AIAW National titles and was a two-time Olympian. She held the world record in the 1,500 freestyle from 1979-1987 and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame inn 1997.
Betsy Mitchell | Swimming | 1986-1988
Mitchell was a seven-time individual NCAA Champion and a 20-time All-American who helped guide Texas to three NCAA team titles. The two-time Honda Sport Award finalist was named the 1980's Southwest Conference Swimmer of the Decade and twice represented the United States in the Olympics. She went on to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1998.
Joan Pennington | Swimming | 1978-80 & 1982-1984
Pennington was Texas' first legendary swimmer, winning six individual NCAA and AIAW event titles, 28 All-America awards and helped the Longhorns to its first-ever NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championship. The two-time World Championship medalist was also the 1978 Honda Sport Award for swimming and diving.
Jill Sterkel | Swimming | 1979-83
To date, Sterkel is one of the most-winningest swimmers in the history of college swimming with 16 individual national championships, 27 All-America honors and two Honda Swimmer of the Year accolades. She was aa four-time Olympian, earning two gold medals and two bronze. She later returned home and coached the Longhorns from 1992-2006.
Laura Wilkinson | Diving | 1996-2000
Wilkinson was a two-time NCAA Champion in platform for Texas, winning her freshman and junior campaigns. She was a six-time All-American during her three collegiate seasons and later won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2005 FINA World Championships, becoming the only woman to win platform titles at each of the major world championships.
Five Texas Women's Swimming and Diving coaches named among CSCAA 100 Greatest Coaches
Five University of Texas Women's swimming and diving coaches, past and present, were selected into the CSCAA 100 Greatest College Swimming & Diving Coaches of the past 100 years.
Carol Capitani: Following a third-place performance at the 2021 NCAA National Championships, Capitani has led Texas to NCAA top-10 finishes in seven of her nine seasons with the Longhorns. The seven-time Big 12 Coach of the Year has guided Texas to 10-straight Big 12 team titles.
Richard Quick: Led Texas Women's Swimming to five-straight NCAA team titles from 1984-88 in his six-year stint on the Forty Acres. He also served as head coach for the U.S. Olympic women's swimming team in 1988, 1996 and 2000 and was the team's assistant coach in 1984, 1992 and 2004.
Mark Schubert: Led Texas to two NCAA Championships (1990-91) during his four-year tenure (1989-92), helping 12 Longhorns win individual NCAA titles and eight relay titles. His success with the Longhorns earned him 1990 NCAA Coach of the Year honors.
Matt Scoggin: Now in his 27th season with the Longhorns, two-time U.S. Olympic Committee National Diving Coach of the Year and 29 Big 12 Diving Coach of the Year award-winner Matt Scoggin shows no signs of slowing down. Scoggin has coached 21 individual NCAA champions, 39 Big 12 title-winners, 14 Big 12 Women's Diver of the Year and 15 Big 12 Men's Diver of the Year honorees, including two 4-time divers of the year awardees. More recently, he served as the U.S. Olympic Diving Team Assistant Coach for the 2020 Olympic Games, where three divers with Texas backgrounds competed.
Jill Sterkel: After a historic swimming career at The University of Texas, Sterkel guided the Longhorns to further success as the head coach for 14 seasons. She led the Longhorns to eight-straight Big 12 titles and was awarded Big 12 Swimming Coach of the Year five times on her way to coaching two swimmers (Whitney Hedgepath and Erin Phenix) to Olympic teams.
Players Mentioned
