The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
Women’s Swimming and Diving in second following day two at NCAA Championships
03.16.2023 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Olivia Bray, Hailey Hernandez, Emma Sticklen and Erica Sullivan each earned individual All-American accolades.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Women's Swimming and Diving closed out day two of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in second place on Thursday at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center. Texas has registered 162 points through the first seven events, trailing Virginia (208.5) while holding a 45-point lead over Louisville (117) and a 56-point advantage over Stanford (106).
Day 🤘 vibes. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/ygikG25pQ2
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) March 17, 2023
Texas kicked off the evening finals session with a pair of top-four finishes in the 500 free championship final. Olivia Bray led the way, winning bronze with a personal-best time of 4:37.02. Bray is the fourth-ranked performer in the event in Texas history. Erica Sullivan finished just behind her, placing fourth with a time of 4:37.28.
Emma Sticklen followed that performance with a stellar swim in the 200 IM championship final, placing sixth with a personal-best time of 1:54.09, besting her previous best of 1:54.18 that established in the morning prelim session. Her time moved her up Texas' all-time rankings as the number four performer in the event. In the consolation final, Kelly Pash finished as the runner-up, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors after touching the wall in 1:54.32.
On 1-meter, Hailey Hernandez repeated as an All-American, scoring 321.05 points to finish in fourth in the event for the second year in a row. In the consolation final, Bridget O'Neil scored 307.65 points to place third and earn Honorable Mention All-American honors.
The Longhorns closed out the night with a sixth-place finish in the 200 free relay by Grace Cooper, Sticklen, Kyla Leibel and Pash with a time of 1:27.11. The mark is the third-fastest in program history and the quartet now holds two of the three fastest times in UT history including the second-fastest time of 1:27.05 established against NC State in January. Texas' sixth-place showing is the best for the Longhorns since finishing fourth in 2012.
Tomorrow'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 springboard diving and 400-yard medley relay.
The Longhorns continue competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center. Prelims start at 9 a.m. CT with the finals sessions scheduled to get underway each day at 5 p.m. CT. All prelim and finals sessions will be streamed live on ESPN+.
2023 NCAA Championships – Team Standings after Day 2 (Top 10 teams listed)
1. Virginia – 208.5
2. TEXAS – 162
3. Louisville – 117
4. Stanford – 106
5. Ohio State – 93
6. Indiana – 83
7. Florida – 76
8. California – 74
9. North Carolina – 73
10. Georgia – 66.5
Texas Longhorns 2023 All-Americans
Olivia Bray: 500 free, 200 medley relay, 800 free relay
Grace Cooper: 200 free relay, 200 medley relay
Anna Elendt: 200 medley relay
Hailey Hernandez: 1-meter
Kyla Leibel: 200 free relay, 800 free relay
Kelly Pash: 200 free relay, 800 free relay
Emma Sticklen: 200 IM, 200 free relay, 200 medley relay
Erica Sullivan: 500 free, 800 free relay
Texas Longhorns 2023 Honorable Mention All-Americans
Bridget O'Neil: 1-meter
Kelly Pash: 200 IM
Texas Program Records set at 2023 NCAA Championships
200 medley relay: Olivia Bray, Anna Elendt, Emma Sticklen, Grace Cooper – 1:33.22
Players Mentioned
