Austin, TX
Emma Sticklen Rips Personal-Best 100 Fly (57.74) to Highlight Day 3 of Austin Sectionals
2024 AUSTIN SECTIONALS
- July 11-14
- Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center
- LCM (50 meters)
- Results on MeetMobile: “2024 ST TXLA SZ LC Sectional Champs”
- Day 1 Recap
- Day 2 Recap
Recent University of Texas graduate Emma Sticklen scorched a lifetime best of 57.74 in the 100 butterfly to outduel recent NC State graduate Abby Arens (58.42) on Saturday night at Austin Sectionals.
Sticklen shaved a few hundredths off her previous-best 57.77 that she clocked to qualify for the Olympic Trials final last month, where she ultimately placed 8th in 58.44. The 22-year-old ranks just outside of the top 30 in the world this season. Sticklen is coming off back-to-back NCAA titles in the 200-yard fly.
Arens has been as fast as 58.16 last June. They were the only two swimmers under one minute in the final.
In the men’s 100 fly, rising Texas sophomore Will Modglin blasted a personal-best 52.53 to take the title over rising Texas junior Aleksej Filipovic (53.70). Modglin dropped more than a second off his previous-best 53.39 from last July to hit a lifetime best that would have placed 14th at Olympic Trials last month, where he was a two-time finalist at Trials in the 100 back and 200 IM.
Rising SMU junior Jack Forrest captured the 400 free crown in 3:56.65, less than half a second ahead of Texas A&M commit (’25) Bucky Gettys (3:57.02). Both swimmers set best times, with the 20-year-old Forrest going almost two seconds faster than he was at Trials last month. Gettys knocked almost a tenth off his previous-best 3:57.11 from last August.
Recent Texas A&M graduate Chloe Stepanek placed 1st in the women’s 400 free (4:17.31), a few seconds off her best time from 2022 (4:13.68). She’s currently in the NCAA transfer portal seeking a fifth-year destination after placing 15th in the 100 free (54.63) and 16th in the 200 free (2:00.02) at last month’s Olympic Trials. Stepanek reached the wall a few seconds ahead of rising Texas senior Olivia McMurray (4:20.61), who owns a personal-best 4:13.18 from back in 2019.
Rising Texas sophomore Emma Kern emerged victorious in the women’s 200 back at 2:15.19, taking a couple tenths off her previous-best 2:15.40 from last month. The 19-year-old placed 6th in the 100 back (1:00.98) at Olympic Trials last month.
Rising Alabama sophomore Kate Christian cut more than a second off her previous best 200 back time (2:17.27 from 2021) on her way to a runner-up finish in 2:15.81.
Recent Texas A&M graduate Thomas Shomper secured the men’s 200 back win in 2:00.21, a couple hundredths faster than her previous-best 2:00.23 that placed 25th at Trials. Rising Texas sophomore Nate Germonprez also registered a lifetime best in the 200 back with a 2nd-place showing in 2:02.19, more than half a second faster than her previous-best 2:02.92 from 2022.
The men’s 100 breast came down to the wire between recent Texas A&M graduate Vincent Ribeiro (1:02.84) and former Texas swimmer Adam Fusti-Molnar (1:02.91). Ribeiro touched less than a tenth quicker than Fusti-Molnar to clinch the win, just a couple tenths off his personal-best 1:02.60 from April.
Recent Texas A&M graduate Charlotte Longbottom (1:10.57) beat Desirae Mangaoang (1:11.16) and Lindsey Hosch (1:11.36) in the women’s 100 breast. Longbottom placed 41st in 100 breast (1:10.52) at Trials last month, more than a second off her personal-best 1:09.39 from 2022.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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