Olivia Bray Hits Season Best 1:52.14 200 Fly as Texas Downs Rice

Texas vs Rice (Women’s Dual)

• Saturday, January 5th, 2022
• Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, TX
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Results

Team Scores

1. Texas – 156
2. Rice – 103

Texas hosted Rice today in Austin for each team’s final regular season meet before the conference championships. The Longhorns came out on top, winning all but two events.

For Rice’s part, they were led by Marta Cano-Minarro, who won both the 100 fly and 200 IM. In the 100 fly, Cano-Minarro swam a 53.59, leading a 1-2 charge by the Owls in the event. Arielle Hayon came in 2nd, touching in 53.83. Then, Cano-Minarro clocked a 2:00.04 to win the 200 IM by 2.4 seconds. Both swims for Cano-Minarro were season bests.

For the Longhorns, it was Olivia Bray who led the day. Bray swam a blistering 1:52.14 to win the 200 fly by 6 seconds. The swim was a season best, and just 0.11 seconds off her personal best. With the swim, she’s now #3 in the NCAA this season, behind only Michigan’s Olivia Carter and Virginia’s Alex Walsh, both of whom have dipped under 1:52. Coincidentally, Bray bumped Texas teammate Emma Sticklen out of the #3 spot, and Sticklen is now #4. Kelly Pash sits at #6 nationally, giving the Longhorns the 3rd, 4th, and 6th fastest 200 flyers in the NCAA this year.

Bray also competed on a pair of relays. She provided an extremely quick 22.50 fly split on Texas’ ‘A’ 200 medley. Julia Cook would lead that relay off in 24.48, followed by a sizzling 26.05 from Anna Elendt on breaststroke, and Emma Sticklen would anchor in 21.83. Texas finished in a speedy dual meet time of 1:34.86. Cook led off the 200 free relay in 22.81, followed by Bray in 22.13. Grace Cooper went 3rd, swimming a 22.15, and Kyla Leibel anchored in 22.39, for a 1:29.48.

Anna Elendt was electric as well on the day, tearing to a new Texas program record of 2:04.69 in the 200 breast. You can read more about the record breaking swim here.

Women’s LCM 1500 free Olympic Silver medalist Erica Sullivan swam the 1650 today, establishing a season best of 15:53.80. The swim puts Sullivan 3rd in the NCAA this season, and puts her in excellent position for a good showing at NCAAs, if not sooner at the Big 12 Championships.

The versatile Kelly Pash won a pair of events on the day as well. Pash took the 200 backstroke in a 1:54.97, posting a new personal best for the junior. She went on to win the 50 free in 22.51, just 0.07 seconds off her personal best in that event.

Julia cook took the 100 back in a 51.91, touching first by over 4 seconds. Cook had won the 100 free earlier in the meet, swimming a 48.86. She led a great team effort by Texas, with Emma Sticklen touching 2nd in 48.97. Bridget Semenuk was 3rd in 49.04, and Lyla Leibel was 4th in at 49.31.

PRESS RELEASE – TEXAS:

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 2 Texas Women’s Swimming and Diving had stellar day at the Sterkel Classic, defeating Rice on Senior Day, 156-103, at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on Saturday. The Longhorns won 13 of 15 events to collect their third-straight dual meet victory and close the regular season slate at 5-1.

Texas’ victory was highlighted by sophomore Anna Elendt’s program record of 2:04.69 in the 200 breaststroke, besting Laura Sogar’s mark of 2:05.04 recorded in 2012. Elednt also holds the school record the 100 breaststroke, having clocked 57.90 at the Minnesota Invitational in December.

Senior Julia Cook posted a pair of victories, winning the 100 free (48.86) and 100 backstroke (51.91), while also helping the Longhorns to a win in the 200 medley relay.

Kelly Pash tallied a pair of victories, as the junior won the 200 backstroke (1:54.97) and 50 free (22.51).

Freshman Erica Sullivan posted the third-fastest 1650 free in program history, opening the individual events with an A cut time of 15:53.80, a mark that is the fourth-fastest in the NCAA this season.

Olivia Bray registered a season-best 1:52.14 to win the 200 fly, with the sophomore posting the number three time in the NCAA this season.

All told, the Longhorns tallied the top-three spots in five events with sweeps in the 200 backstroke, 100 free, 200 breaststroke, 100 breaststroke and 50 free.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Texas opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay with Cook, Elendt, Bray and sophomore Emma Sticklen clocking 1:34.86
• Cook collected the win in the 100 free and was followed by Sticklen (48.97) in second and junior Bridget Semenuk (49.04) and junior Kyla Leibel (49.31) in third and fourth, respectively.
• Sophomore Sydney Silver placed second in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:58.00.
• Freshmen Channing Hanley (2:14.02) and Riley Courtney (2:16.91) finished second and third, respectively, to Elendt in the 200 breaststroke.
• In the 400 IM, senior Evie Pfeifer recorded a victory with a season-best 4:08.25.
• Sticklen (1:47.35) and sophomore Grace Cooper (1:50.64) went 1-2 in the 200 free.
• Texas’ sweep of the 100 breaststroke featured winner Ellie Andrews (1:03.08) with freshman Jordan Morgan (1:03.29) placing second and sophomore Ellie McLeod (1:04.11) finishing third.
• Semenuk added a second-place finish in the 50 free with a time of 22.79 and freshman Morgan Brophy finished third in 23.33.

Next up, the Longhorns begin postseason competition when they head to West Virginia for the Big 12 Conference Championships, Feb. 23-26.

PRESS RELEASE – RICE:

In Brief: Marta Cano-Minarro won a pair of events and posted three season bests to highlight action for Rice at the Sterkel Classic at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on Saturday.  Second-ranked Texas won the dual meet, 154-103, which served as the final competition for both schools prior to conference championship meets in three weeks.

The Details: Cano-Minarro captured the 200 IM in 2:00.04, the top time this season by an Owl and added a win in the 100 butterfly in 53.59, out-touching Arielle Hayon at the wall.  She finished second in the 200 fly in 1:58.73, the fastest effort by an Owl this year and .19 off her personal best set in 2020 at the Conference USA Championship.  Freshman Amelia Kane provided at third win in an individual event for Rice, taking the 500 freestyle while Cano-Minarro joined Imogen Meers, Madison Howe and Becca Evans to capture the 200 freestyle relay to close out the day.

Seth Huston: For the second consecutive week, the Owls hit the water after a bus trip from Houston, and the Owls’ head coach was impressed with the way the team responded: “What a difference a week makes. I was really impressed with the team energy today from start to finish. Marta had a great day today. Her first butterfly swims of the season were pretty awesome.  I thought Arielle looked strong and is still figuring some details out. It was great to Lauren Brantley, Sophie Reilly and Elizabeth Myers create some momentum heading into CUSA.”

Up Next: The Owls will turn their focus to two final weeks of training prior to the Conference USA Championship which begins Wednesday, February 23 at Liberty University’s Natatorium in Lynchburg, Virginia.