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.