Fresh off Texas women’s swim and dive’s 38th consecutive conference title, the Longhorns entered this year’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships determined to knock the University of Virginia off its perch.
However, Texas finished behind Virginia and Stanford at the championships and took the bronze medal to conclude its season.
Sophomore Jillian Cox claimed her second consecutive national title in the 1650 freestyle. Cox posted a 15:32.26 time, just 1.28 seconds off from her winning time in the same event during the 2025 championships.
“I did see Claire. I needed that.” Cox said. “I saw her, and that kind of pushed me towards the end — I am so glad that the heat was fast, I don’t think I would have been able to do that alone.”
Cox pulled away from Cal’s Claire Weinstein in the final 500 yards to secure the title.
In the final event of the first day, Texas finished runner-up in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 6:46.91, setting a new program record in the process.
The Longhorns were represented by sophomores Lillie Nesty, Campbell Chase, junior Erin Gemmell and freshman Nikolett Padar, who set a program record with her 1:40.30 leadoff time.
Heading into the second day of the championships, Texas trailed defending champs Virginia by 11 points. Texas recorded five top-seven finishes with two third-place finishes on the day.
Padar, picking up where she left off, finished third in the 200-yard freestyle event. The freshman posted a 1:40.78 time, improving from her prelim time of 1:40.00.
In the final days of competition, Texas remained behind Virginia. At the end of day three, the Longhorns trailed by 165.5 points.
Notable performances on day three included freshman Eva Okaro, who broke the team record in the 50 freestyle, a mark she set during the 2026 Southeastern Conference Championships.
Following Okaro’s solo performance, she then competed alongside Nesty, Padar and Gemmell in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The quartet secured third, breaking the program record set at this year’s SEC Championships.
On the last day, the Longhorns opened with an electric performance by junior Campbell Stoll in the 200-yard butterfly. Touching the wall .14 seconds ahead of Indiana freshman and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Alex Shackell, Stoll finished in first place, an improvement from the last championships, when she placed seventh.
“It’s just a dream. I can’t even put it into words, just seeing my name up on the board,” Stoll said. “Knowing I did it for all of Texas and these girls, it’s truly an incredible feeling.”
However, even with the steady success of the Longhorns throughout the championships, it wasn’t enough to keep second. Stanford overcame a 30-point deficit on the last day of the championships, securing second place four points ahead of Texas.
