Women’s swimming and diving finish second national at NCAA championships

Knoxville, Tenn. – Women’s swimming and diving finished as national runners-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 earned second-place national honors for the second straight year and finished in the top three for the third straight year. The three-straight top-three streak is the longest for Texas since 1993-95, and the first two straight is the best since 1991-92.

🏆 NATIONAL MENTION 2023 🏆

🤘 #HookEm 🤘 pic.twitter.com/IrSz1Z0sau

— Texas Women’s Swimming and Diving (@TexasWSD) March 19, 2023

Texas closed the four-day encounter with 414.5 points, the most for the program since 1994. Virginia scored 541.5 points to win a third consecutive national title, while Stanford finished third with 333 points. Louisville (288) and NC State (263) round out the top five.

All the feels 🤘🏆🏆 🧡 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/gBSL5BEAsY

— Texas Women’s Swimming and Diving (@TexasWSD) March 19, 2023

Sticklen underscored the Longhorns’ effort with a thrilling victory in the 200 butterfly, hitting the wall in 1:49.95 to set new Texas, meet and pool records and establish Sticklen as the fourth-fastest performer of the all-time event.

The race featured a trio of Longhorns for the third straight year with Kelly Pash and Dakota Luther joining Sticklen in the championship finale. Stanford’s Sticklen and defending champion Alex Walsh came out fast and were even at the 50-yard mark, but Walsh pounced and built a body-length lead midway through. Sticklen slowly cut Walsh’s lead, overtaking her in the final five yards for the win. Walsh was second in 1:50.23 and Pash was 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 butterfly since Kim Linehan won the event at the 1982 AIAW National Championships. Coupled with Lydia Jacoby’s victory in the 100 breaststroke on Friday, the Longhorns feature two individual national champions for the first time since 2001.

In the event preceding the 200 butterfly, Anna Elendt broke her own program record in the 200 breaststroke, clocking 2:03.26 to win silver for the second consecutive year. Elendt now holds the three fastest breaststroke times in Texas history and five of the top six. Jacoby raced in the consolation final, hitting the wall in 2:06.66 to finish third.

Erica Sullivan opened the swimming events for Texas with a fifth-place finish in the 1650 freestyle clocking 15:50.27. The result earned Sullivan his second individual All-American honor of the competition and fourth of his career.

Olivia Bray followed with a seventh-place finish in the 200 backstroke, swimming 1:51.95 to earn her third individual All-American of the week and seventh place overall.

In the diving pit, Jordan Skilken was sixth in the platform championship final with 293.75 points, and Sarah Carruthers was 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 foursome of Pash, Bray, Kyla Leibel and Grace Cooper finishing seventh in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:12.59.

2023 NCAA Championships – Final Team Rankings (Top 10 Teams Listed)
1. Virginia – 541.5
2. TEXAS – 414.5
3. Stanford- 333
4. Louisville- 288
5. NC Status – 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 chest: Lydia Jacoby – 57.03
200m butterfly: Emma Sticklen – 1:49.95

Texas Longhorns 2023 All-Americans
Olivia Bray: 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 500 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay
Grace Cooper: 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay
Anna Elendt: 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 medley relay
Lydia Jacoby: 100 breaststroke, 400 medley relay
Kyla Leibel: 200 free stints, 400 free stints, 800 free stints
Dakota Luther: 200 flies
Kelly Pash: 200 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay
Emma Sticklen: 100 butterfly, 2200 butterfly, 00 IM, 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Erica Sullivan: 500 free relays, 800 free relays

Texas Longhorns 2023 Honorable Mention All-Americans
Hailey Hernandez: 3 meters
Lydia Jacoby: 200 boobs
Bridget O’Neil: 1 meter
Kelly Pash: 200 free, 200 IM

Texas program records set at 2023 NCAA championships
200 QN Relay: Olivia Bray, Anna Elendt, Emma Sticklen, Grace Cooper – 1:33.22
400 QN Relay: Olivia Bray, Lydia Jacoby, Emma Sticklen, Kelly Pash – 3:25.18
200 breaststroke: Anna Elendt – 2:03.26
200 m butterfly: Emma Sticklen – 1: 49.95 (meeting and pool record)

Source