The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
Women’s Swimming and Diving finishes as National Runner-up at NCAA Championships
03.18.2023 | Women's Swimming and Diving, Longhorn Foundation
Emma Sticklen swam a 200-yard butterfly program, meet and pool record to win the national title.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Women's Swimming and Diving finished as the national runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships and Emma Sticklen won the 200-yard butterfly national championship on Saturday at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center. Texas claimed national runner-up honors for the second consecutive year and placed among the top three for the third year in a row. The stretch of three consecutive top-three results is the longest for Texas since 1993-95, and the back-to-back top-two finishes is the best stretch since 1991-92.
🏆 2023 NATIONAL RUNNER-UP 🏆
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) March 19, 2023
🤘 #HookEm 🤘 pic.twitter.com/IrSz1Z0sau
Texas closed out the four-day meet with 414.5 points, the most for the program since 1994. Virginia scored 541.5 points to claim a third-straight national title, while Stanford finished third with 333 points. Louisville (288) and NC State (263) rounded out the top five.
All the feels 🤘🏆🏆 🧡 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/gBSL5BEAsY
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) March 19, 2023
Sticklen highlighted the Longhorns' effort with a thrilling victory in the 200 fly, touching the wall in 1:49.95 to set new Texas, meet and pool records and establish Sticklen as the fourth-fastest performer in the event all time.
The 200 Butterfly National Champion with a time of 1:49.95 for The University of Texas, @Emmasticklen1! 🤘 pic.twitter.com/BqrSS5hyMk
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) March 19, 2023
The race featured a trio of Longhorns for the third-straight year with Kelly Pash and Dakota Luther joining Sticklen in the championship final. Sticklen and defending champion Alex Walsh of Stanford went out fast and were even at the 50-yard mark, but Walsh surged and built a body length lead at the midway point. Sticklen slowly chipped away Walsh's lead, overtaking her in the final five yards for the victory. Walsh placed second in 1:50.23 and Pash finished third with a time of 1:51.89, while Luther took fifth for the Longhorns in 1:52.27.
Sticklen is the first Longhorn to win the 200 fly since Kim Linehan won the event at the 1982 AIAW National Championships. Coupled with Lydia Jacoby's victory in the 100 breast on Friday, the Longhorns feature two individual event national champions for the first time since 2001.
In the event preceding the 200 fly, Anna Elendt broke her own program record in the 200 breast, swimming 2:03.26 to win silver for the second consecutive year. Elendt now owns the three fastest 200 breast times in Texas history and five of the top six. Jacoby competed in the consolation final, touching the wall in 2:06.66 to finish third.
🤩 ANNA ELENDT 🤩
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) March 20, 2023
Her NCAA Championship 200 breast silver-medal swim of 2:03.26 broke the Texas program record and tied her for 4️⃣th-fastest performer ALL-TIME in the event. 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/jqlxljZmEF
Erica Sullivan opened the swimming events for Texas with a fifth-place performance in the 1650 free with a time of 15:50.27. The result garnered Sullivan her second individual All-American honor of the meet and the fourth of her career.
Olivia Bray followed with a seventh-place finish in the 200 back, swimming 1:51.95 to collect her third individual All-American accolade of the week and seventh in the meet overall.
In the diving well, Jordan Skilken finished sixth in the platform championship final with 293.75 points, and Sarah Carruthers took third in the consolation final with 281.75 points. Texas Diving combined to score 49 points in the meet, the second-highest point total at the NCAA Championships, three behind Arizona.
The Longhorns closed out the national meet with the quartet of Pash, Bray, Kyla Leibel and Grace Cooper finishing seventh in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:12.59.
2023 NCAA Championships – Final Team Standings (Top 10 teams listed)
1. Virginia – 541.5
2. TEXAS – 414.5
3. Stanford – 333
4. Louisville – 288
5. NC State – 263
6. Ohio State – 223
7. Indiana – 219
8. Tennessee – 214
9. Florida – 179
10. North Carolina – 152
Texas Longhorns 2023 Individual National Champions
100 breast: Lydia Jacoby – 57.03
200 fly: Emma Sticklen – 1:49.95
Texas Longhorns 2023 All-Americans
Olivia Bray: 100 back, 200 back, 500 free, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay
Grace Cooper: 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 200 medley relay
Anna Elendt: 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 medley relay
Hailey Hernandez: 1-meter
Lydia Jacoby: 100 breast, 400 medley relay
Kyla Leibel: 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay
Dakota Luther: 200 fly
Kelly Pash: 200 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay, 400 medley relay
Jordan Skilken: Platform
Emma Sticklen: 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Erica Sullivan: 500 free, 1650 free, 800 free relay
Texas Longhorns 2023 Honorable Mention All-Americans
Sarah Carruthers: Platform
Hailey Hernandez: 3-meter
Lydia Jacoby: 200 breast
Bridget O'Neil: 1-meter
Kelly Pash: 200 free, 200 IM
Texas Program Records set at 2023 NCAA Championships
200 medley relay: Olivia Bray, Anna Elendt, Emma Sticklen, Grace Cooper – 1:33.22
400 medley relay: Olivia Bray, Lydia Jacoby, Emma Sticklen, Kelly Pash – 3:25.18
200 breast: Anna Elendt – 2:03.26
200 fly: Emma Sticklen – 1:49.95 (Meet and Pool Record)
Players Mentioned
