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 had a particularly itchy and drippy cedar fever season to start the year. Many winter days, from late December into February, had high or very high ashe juniper (aka cedar) pollen counts.
Central Texas has a year-round allergy season with mold popping up at any time. For the more traditional spring and fall allergy seasons, forecasters at AccuWeather are predicting some of the allergens across the country will be worse this year than average.
Texas, though, is a different story.
For grass allergies, which happen now through September, AccuWeather estimates Austin will have an average season. However, just west of the Interstate 35 corridor in the Hill Country to almost El Paso, that season is expected to be worse than normal.
“Texas may experience above-average grass pollen for a few weeks,” AccuWeather’s allergy report said, “though the season could be shorter-lived compared to northern areas.”
It all depends on the weather
How much rain we get in the next six months and the perennial Texas heat will all affect the growing season for grasses and weeds, as well as the amount of pollen trees produce. The Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers Almanac are both predicting a wetter and warmer spring.
Rain helps plants grow, which can increase pollen production over time. However, rainfall during allergy season can also bring temporary relief by washing pollen out of the air. That’s what we’re expecting this weekend, with our first meaningful rain chance in nearly three weeks. Tree and weed pollen levels might briefly drop, but mold could spike because it thrives in damp, humid weather.
If spring continues with excessive heat like we saw in February, it could limit the growth of some plants and trees. Extreme heat can reduce how much they grow, and how much pollen they produce. On the other hand, if we get a healthy balance of rain and only slightly above-normal temperatures — not extreme heat — pollen counts could climb. That’s especially true as we head into April, typically our windiest month of the year, which helps spread pollen more easily.
How can you treat allergies in Austin?
If you are feeling the effects of allergies, here are some things you can do to lessen them:
- Start taking allergy medication at least two weeks before your allergen’s season is supposed to start. Keep taking your allergy medication throughout your allergen’s season, even on low-pollen days.
- Vary your allergy medication. You can take a nasal spray, an eye drop and an oral antihistamine at the same time to treat the different symptoms. If one kind of allergy medication isn’t working, consult your doctor about whether you should add a second one or switch out the medication.
- Take a shower before going to bed.
- Take off outside clothes or shoes when you get into the house.
- Do a daily nasal wash such as a neti pot or saline spray.
- Consider seeing an allergist to get drops or shots to lessen your reaction to the allergen.
Consider these household tips to improve your chances of keeping allergens away:
- Change the filters in your house regularly during cedar fever season.
- Vacuum and sweep regularly.
- Change your sheets, especially your pillow regularly.
- Keep doors and windows closed.
- Clean out the vents in your home.
- Have your home tested for indoor allergens such as mold.
- Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air.
- Wear a mask outside or inside while you are trying to lessen the pollen or mold indoors.
Democrats tried to stop a mid-decade redistricting effort, but were unsuccessful. Now, we are starting to see some of the candidates emerging in those newly drawn districts. FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski gives a full breakdown.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A shooting on West Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, early Sunday morning, killed three people and injured more than a dozen others, according to the Austin Police Department. APD confirmed one of the victims was 30-year-old Jorge Pederson, a Minnesota man who worked as an MMA fighter for the Med City Fighting Championships.
“You meet tons of fighters and there are people that stand above the rest that you find you enjoy or find the most amusing,” MCFC Co-Owner Matthew Vogt said. “He was definitely one of them.”
According to Vogt, Pederson was also the owner of a Minnesota business called Metro Movers. Vogt said the MMA competitor touched everyone’s hearts since his first day of fighting professionally in Rochester.
“As soon as we met him when it was the weighing time, we just loved the guy already because he had a great mission or spirit about him,” Vogt said. “He was a funny guy and great fighter.”
Vogt told KTTC when he first saw the news that Pederson was killed, he could not believe what he saw.
“I was looking, like, ‘Wait a minute. Is this one of his shenanigans or did something actually happen there?’” Vogt said, recalling the moment he saw a social media post regarding the shooting in Austin. “I confirmed with a few people and I’m just like, sometimes, some things happen that you don’t even like, you don’t even know how to respond to it because it’s just so out of left field that you don’t immediately have a response to it.”
MCFC confirmed there is an online fundraiser dedicated to supporting Pederson’s family. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $10,000 has been raised.
“He was someone that always could make anybody laugh,” Vogt said. “Support his family through the fundraiser and take a look at his Instagram especially to see how funny he was.”
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