No. 2 Texas women’s swim and dive is set to compete at the Southeastern Conference Championships at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center Feb. 16-21 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The winner of the SEC Championships is determined by the total points earned by swimmers and divers on each team. The number of points scored by a swimmer and diver are determined by how they place, the number of competitors and type of event.
This will be the Longhorns’ second year competing in the SEC Championships. In their inaugural appearance, the Longhorns secured the championship title over Florida, ending the Gators’ 12-year SEC title streak.
In last season’s championship, the Longhorns garnered 1,450 points defeating the Gators, who finished second by 271 points.
However, this year’s roster is young and different from the championship team last season. The Longhorns have lost five seniors who were key leaders, like Emma Sticklen, the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year in 2025.
“It was awesome having the leadership of that fifth year, but that’s gone now, right? And so there’s a freshness,” head coach Carol Capitani said.
The Longhorns finished their dual-meet season at home at The Sterkel Classic. Texas came off a victory against the Texas A&M Aggies at the Lonestar Showdown winning 207-92. Despite the losses of senior leadership, the Longhorns maintain strength through the depth of their roster.
Texas features young leaders and standouts, like sophomore swimmer Jillian Cox, three-time SEC Swimmer of the Week and program record holder for the 1,000-yard freestyle at Texas. The Longhorns also boast sophomore diver Alejandra Estudillo, an Olympian for Mexico and recent SEC Co-Diver of the Week.
Alongside the other standouts is rising star sophomore swimmer Kate Hurst, recently breaking her own personal record at the Lonestar Showdown that she set at the 2025 SEC Championships, giving a possible glimpse of her performance at this year’s championships.
“Yeah, I’m really excited. I’ve never been to the Tennessee pool before. It’ll be a new pool and racing environment, but I had so much fun last year.” Hurst said. “I mean, the deck and environment at SEC (schools) is unlike any other.”
Last year’s title win marked the team’s thirteenth straight conference title under Capitani. The Longhorns will have an opportunity in Knoxville to earn a back-to-back title and fourteenth consecutive conference title.
“These next couple weeks are like, ‘How do we get sharper? How do we get better?’” Capitani said. “‘How do we really kind of focus in on the little details,’ and that’s going to help us along the way.”
After the SEC Championships, qualified Longhorn swimmers and divers will compete at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga, with the women’s events scheduled to begin Mar. 18-21 and men’s events Mar. 25-28.
