Following a weekend consisting of a senior day celebration, a dual meet victory against their ranked rival Texas A&M and the opportunity for less well-known swimmers to compete and succeed in the Sterkel Classic on Saturday, Texas swimming is set to tackle the postseason that will begin in just under two weeks.
While the No. 1 men’s team and No. 2 women’s team have been training and competing since the beginning of the school year with the postseason in mind, the senior day ceremony posed an opportunity to step back and recognize the efforts and contributions of the 19 seniors within the program.
This senior class is made up of swimmers and divers filled with Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. Some have been representing Texas for almost five full years, while others recently arrived from other programs.
What they have in common, though, is that they all ended up competing in burnt orange for the spring season of 2025 — a season that has been marked by strong individual efforts and sizable team victories.
The final regular season victories were achieved this past weekend at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center.
The men’s team beat the Aggies by 138 points, dominating across several events on Friday.
Senior David Johnston secured a first-place finish and the third-fastest time in Texas history in the 1000-meter freestyle, with sophomore Rex Maurer and senior Jackson Huckabay earning second and third, respectively.
Texas also swept the podium in the 100-meter backstroke, the 200-meter butterfly and the 500-meter freestyle.
Texas men’s swimming’s final win against A&M moves their record to 8-0 for the regular season. They competed in the Sterkel Classic the following day, a meet held on Saturday in which less-established Texas swimmers helped outscore TCU, SMU and Rice.
The women found success in the Sterkel Classic too, but their biggest achievement of the weekend was defeating A&M by 95 points and moving their record to 7-1.
Graduate student Emma Sticklen earned first place in the 100-meter backstroke and the 100-meter freestyle. Senior Grace Cooper and sophomore Alexa Fulton finished second and third, respectively, to complete the podium sweep in the event. Fulton also won the 50-meter freestyle.
The underclassmen found impressive wins with freshman Lillie Nesty winning the 1000-meter freestyle and sophomore Campbell Stoll winning the 500-meter freestyle.
Senior Channing Hanley added to the long list of victories, winning the 100-meter breaststroke. The team capped off the list finishing first in multiple relays.
With these victories in the rearview, the focus shifts to the SEC Championships, which are set to take place Feb. 17 to 22 in Athens, Georgia. The women’s NCAA Championships will take place March 20 to 23, marking the end of their 2025 collegiate season.
Texas’ success so far this season and their fresh victories against A&M and in the Sterkel Classic will propel them into the offseason as favorites to defeat fierce opponents in the SEC Championships.
“We want to win SECs, and it’s competitive,” women’s head coach Carol Capitani said. “It’s going to be really competitive.”
