The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Championships
No. 2 Women’s Swimming and Diving preview: Big 12 Championships
02.21.2023 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Texas is seeking an 11th consecutive Big 12 Conference crown.
No. 2 Texas at 2023 Big 12 Championships
When: Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Saturday, Feb. 25
Where: Austin, Texas
Facility: Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Host: Kyle Sockwell; Analyst: Natalie Kalibat)
Ticket info: Admission will be charged for all finals rounds. Single-session ticket prices for this event are:
Adults: Prelims $6.00 / Finals $10.00
Youth (under 18) and Seniors: Prelims $4.00 / Finals $5.00
Doors will open and tickets will be available one hour prior to the start of each session. Everyone must have a ticket. Tickets can only be purchased on-site.
Top Times: 2022-23 | All-Time Top 10 | UT Record Holders
Big 12 Championship Media Availability: Carol Capitani
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 (Diving Prelims – 11:00 a.m. | Finals – 5:00 p.m.)
1-meter Springboard
200-yard Medley Relay
800-yard Freestyle Relay
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 (Swimming Prelims – 10:00 a.m. | Women's Team Diving Exhibition – 11:15 | Finals – 6:00 p.m.)
500-yard Freestyle
200-yard Individual Medley
50-yard Freestyle
400-yard Medley Relay
Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 (Swimming Prelims – 10:00 a.m. | Diving Prelims – 1:45 p.m. | Finals – 6:00 p.m.)
100-yard Butterfly
400-yard Individual Medley
200-yard Freestyle
100-yard Breaststroke
100-yard Backstroke
3-meter Springboard
200-yard Freestyle Relay
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2023 (Swimming Prelims – 10:00 a.m. | Diving Prelims –10:15 a.m. | Finals – 5:00 p.m.)
200-yard Backstroke
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
1,650-yard Freestyle
Platform Diving
400-yard Freestyle Relay
MEET NOTES
The Matchup
Texas has won 10 consecutive Big 12 Conference Championships, all since the arrival of head coach Carol Capitani.
The Longhorns will square off against Iowa State, Kansas, TCU and West Virginia.
At last year's championship, Texas swept all 21 events, scoring 1,083 points. Kansas was the runner-up with 618 points, while TCU placed third with 587 points.
The Longhorns return 2022 Swimmer of the Meet Kelly Pash, who won the 200 IM, 400 IM, 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay and 400 medley relay, defending diver of the meet Hailey Hernandez, who won the 1-meter and 3-meter, and Newcomer of the Meet Erica Sullivan, who captured the 500 free and 1650 free.
Other returning event champions include:
Olivia Bray: 100 fly, 200 back, 400 free relay, 800 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Grace Cooper: 50 free, 200 free relay
Anna Elendt: 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Kyla Leibel: 200 free, 400 free relay, 800 free relay
Bridget Semenuk: 200 free relay, 400 free relay
Jordan Skilken: Platform
Emma Sticklen: 200 fly, 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
National Team
A trio of Longhorns were selected to the 2022-23 USA Swimming National Team. Chosen by their ranking among the six fastest swimmers in their respective event(s) from the past calendar year, the list of includes Lydia Jacoby (100 breast, 200 breast), Dakota Luther (200 fly) and Kelly Pash (100 fly, 200 fly). Additionally, Anna Elendt competes for Germany, for which she holds national long course records in the 50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke, as well as short course records in the 50m breaststroke and 100m breaststroke.
Capitani to lead USA Women's Swimming at 2023 World Championships
Head coach was Carol Capitani was selected by USA Swimming to lead the Women's National Team at the 2023 World Championships. The competition will take place World Aquatics Championships are set for July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan.
Last summer, she served as an assistant coach for the United States men's and women's teams at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, helping Team USA establish a meet record with 45 total medals (17 gold, 12 silver, 16 bronze), breaking the previous record of 38 set by the U.S. in 2017.
She previously served as the U.S. women's head coach for the 2017 World University Games. Capitani joined Team USA as an assistant coach for the U.S. women's team at the 2016 FINA Short Course World Championships in Windsor, Ontario and served previous stints as an assistant coach for the U.S. at the World University Games in 2011 and 2013. She was the head coach for the U.S. women at the 2013 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool, as well.
Diving honored with 2022 USA Diving Collegiate Impact Award
Texas Diving was honored with the 2020 USA Diving Collegiate Impact Award, presented to the top-contributing school on the 2020 U.S. Olympic Diving Team in Tokyo. The Longhorns were recognized during the Team USA Collegiate Recognition Awards that ran in conjunction with the National Football Foundation's 64th Annual Awards celebration in December.
At the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, 100% of the U.S. Olympic Diving Team competed collegiately. Texas had three divers competing in the Games, the largest representation of any program on Team USA in Tokyo, which earned the Longhorns the 2020 USA Diving Collegiate Impact Award.
2022 FINA Short Course World Championships
Dakota Luther won gold in the 200m butterfly and Anna Elendt earned bronze in the 100m breaststroke this week at the 2022 FINA Short Course World Championships (25m) at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre.
Luther won the first World Championships medal of her career in Thursday's exciting 200-meter fly final that saw her battle United States teammate Hali Flickinger throughout the race, winning with a personal-best time of 2:03.37. She became the first American woman to win that 200m butterfly (SCM) world title since Mary Descenza in 2008 and her time makes her the third-fastest American in the event's history.
Elendt claimed third in the 100m breaststroke on Thursday, setting a German national record with a time of 1:04.05. She out-touched China's Tang Qianting by one one-hundredth of a second to bring home the bronze. Elendt also took fifth in the 50m breast in 29.30.
2022 USA Diving Winter Nationals
Hailey Hernandez won the national crown on the 1-meter and also claimed silver on the 3-meter, while Bridget O'Neil finished as the runner-up on the 1-meter and Jordan Skilken took second on the platform.
Hernandez scored 510.60 points in the 1-meter preliminary and final, the second-highest total of the competition, but as the event's top American finisher she was credited with the U.S. national title. O'Neil's, who placed fifth in the prelims, joined Hernandez on the podium with a total score of 489.60 points, the third-best score of the day and earned silver with the second-highest American score.
On the 3-meter, Hernandez tallied 573.85 point to finish just 5.75 points behind champion Sarah Bacon. Sitting in fourth following the prelims, Hernandez opened the finals scoring 64.80 points with an inward 2 1/2 somersault tuck, the highest score of the opening round. She added a pair of 63-point dives in the third and fourth round to help secure her second medal of the event.
Of Skilken's five final-round dives on the platform, three were for at least 61 points. She twice scored 67.20 points in the final, first with a third-round armstand back two somersault 1 1/2 twist free, then clinching the silver on her final dive with a back 2 1/2 somersault 1 1/2 twist pike.
Texas Divers won the women's team title with 130 points and earned a third-place finish on the men's side with 66 points. Collectively, Texas divers scored a combined 196 points to win the overall team competition.
NCAA Top-16 Marks
100 free:
8. Kelly Pash (47.35)
200 free:
4. Kelly Pash (1:42.73*)
500 free:
1. Erica Sullivan (4:35.88)
16. Olivia McMurray (4:39.38)
1650 free:
10. Erica Sullivan (15:58.97)
100 back:
9. Olivia Bray (50.92*)
200 back:
5. Olivia Bray (1:50.46*)
100 breast:
3. Lydia Jacoby (57.45*)
4. Anna Elendt (57.48*)
200 breast:
8. Anna Elendt (2:06.43*)
10. Lydia Jacoby (2:06.66)
100 fly:
5. Emma Sticklen (49.79*)
11. Kelly Pash (51.01)
200 fly:
1. Emma Sticklen (1:51.37*)
2. Kelly Pash (1:51.45*)
3. Dakota Luther (1:51.58*)
200 IM:
6. Kelly Pash (1:53.81)
9. Emma Sticklen (1:54.70)
200 free relay:
8. Texas (1:27.05* – Grace Cooper, Emma Sticklen, Kyla Leibel, Kelly Pash)
400 free relay:
8. Texas (3:11.53* – Bridget Semenuk, Kyla Leibel, Ava Longi, Kelly Pash)
800 free relay:
9. Texas (6:59.67* – Kyla Leibel, Kelly Pash, Erica Sullivan, Emma Sticklen)
200 medley relay:
4. Texas (1:33.70* – Olivia Bray, Anna Elendt, Emma Sticklen, Grace Cooper)
400 medley relay:
2. Texas (3:25.29* – Olivia Bray, Lydia Jacoby, Emma Sticklen, Kelly Pash)
* Denotes A Standard
Texas' 2022-23 Big 12 Conference Weekly Honors
Oct. 12
Emma Sticklen (Swimmer)
Bridget O'Neil (Diver)
Dakota Luther (Newcomer)
Oct. 26
Kelly Pash (Swimmer)
Bridget O'Neil (Diver)
Lydia Jacoby (Newcomer)
Nov. 9
Kelly Pash (Swimmer)
Bridget O'Neil (Diver)
Lydia Jacoby (Newcomer)
Nov. 23
Bridget O'Neil (Diver)
Jan. 18
Kelly Pash (Swimmer)
Bridget O'Neil (Diver)
Lydia Jacoby (Newcomer)
Feb. 1
Emma Sticklen (Swimmer)
Hailey Hernandez (Diver)
Dakota Luther (Newcomer)
Feb. 8
Abby Pfeifer (Swimmer)
Lindsey Hosch (Newcomer)
Team Rankings
The Longhorns are ranked second in the latest College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) Division I poll (February 9), trailing only Virginia. The top 10 includes Virginia (450), TEXAS (432), Stanford (414), NC State (393), Ohio State (381), Florida (360), Alabama (342), Indiana (324), Tennessee (299) and Kentucky (293).
Storied Program
Texas finished as the runner-up at the 2022 national meet after placing third in 2021. Overall, 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. UT has won a total of 34 conference championships (14 Southwest Conference, 20 Big 12 Conference).
Head Coach Carol Capitani
Carol Capitani is in her 11th 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 Championships in eight of the last nine meets held. Capitani has guided UT to back-to-back top-three NCAA results, finishing as the runner-up in 2022, Texas' best showing since 1994.
Players Mentioned
