Austin, TX

Erin Gemmell Remains 5th in US with 200 FR Season Best of 1:57.51 at Longhorn Elite Invite

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1 month ago

May 18, 2024

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Erin Gemmell Remains 5th in US with 200 FR Season Best of 1:57.51 at Longhorn Elite Invite

2024 LONGHORN ELITE INVITE

Friday Finals Livestream Video

As many Florida and Georgia names are repping at the 2024 Atlanta Classic, many more Texas names are going in on the weekend racing action two time zones over at the 2024 Longhorn Elite Invite in Austin, TX. Friday’s finals session sounded off with a set of four more women’s and men’s event finals, the 200 free, 200 back, 400 IM, and 100 fly.

Texas freshman Erin Gemmell of Nation’s Capital easily won the women’s 200 free at 1:57.51, ahead of Texas redshirt Jillian Cox (2:00.96). This marks a season best for Gemmell, following her 1:57.98 from the San Antonio Pro Swim Series. For Cox, her finals time was just off her season best of 2:00.22 from the Knoxville Pro Swim Series.

Gemmell now affirms herself as the 5th-fastest American in this event this season after being tied with Addison Sauickie. Gemmell owns a lifetime best of 1:55.90 from the 2023 World Championships.

2023-2024 US Rankings- Women’s 200 FR LCM

Katie Ledecky, 1:54.97
Anna Peplowski, 1:56.99
Paige Madden, 1:57.25
Simone Manuel, 1:57.37
Erin Gemmell, 1:57.51**
Addison Sauickie, 1:57.98

Four Texas Longhorn women finished 1-2-3-4 on the women’s side of the 100 fly. Kelly Pash (58.16) took the four-tenths win over Emma Sticklen (58.57) while Dakota Luther touched out Olivia Bray by 0.07s for third, 59.01 to 59.08.

Pash’s 58.16 eclipses her 2024 calendar year best of 58.34 from the Knoxville Pro Swim Series. She remains the 7th-fastest American in 2024 in this event. At the October 2023 Pan American Games, Pash won silver with a time of 57.85, which still ranks 7th this season.

Meanwhile, Sticklen’s 58.57 is a small drop from her 58.81 year best and keeps her ranked 12th in the nation this year. Luther’s 59.01 was a hair off her 2024 best time of 58.84. In the same way, Bray’s 59.01 was just off her US No.11-ranked 58.42 year best.

2024 US Rankings- Women’s 100 FL LCM

Torri Huske, 55.68
Gretchen Walsh, 56.14
Regan Smith, 56.36
Claire Curzan, 56.61
Alex Shackell, 57.22
Alex Walsh, 57.59
Kelly Pash, 58.16**
Josephine Fuller, 58.37

TXLA’s Shaine Casas took out another win in Austin, topping the men’s 100 fly at 51.48, splitting 23.80/27.68. Casas’ season best rests at 51.03 from the 2023 US Open, but has a 2024 calendar year best of 51.40 from the January Knoxville Pro Swim Series. With his 51.03 season best, Casas sits in second in the US only behind Caeleb Dressel this season. Casas put up his lifetime best of 50.40 back at the 2022 US Nationals.

SMU transfer Danny Kovac was spotted exactly a second behind, in second place, at 52.48. Kovac remains 10th-ranked in the nation this season, dropping 0.03s from his 52.51 from a SMU time trial last month. This marks Kovac’s fastest 100 fly since the 2021 US Olympic Trials, where he swam 51.61 to rank 4th in semi-finals before dropping to 8th in the final.

Pro Carson Foster, representing the Mason Manta Rays, won the men’s 200 free by exactly two seconds at 1:47.10. That’s just tenths off his season best time of 1:46.58 from the San Antonio Pro Swim Series last month, which ranks 4th in the nation for the 2023-2024 season. Foster does own a lifetime best of 1:45.57 from the 2022 US Team Trials.

Austin trainee Rex Maurer narrowly took second at 1:49.10, ahead of Texas’ Luke Hobson of Lakeridge (1:49.35). Maurer put up a new season best, dropping from his 1:49.98 at last month’s Fran Crippen Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo. He owns a lifetime best of 1:47.63 from the 2023 US Nationals, which ranked 20th in the nation at the end of last season. Meanwhile, Hobson holds the top time in the nation this season at 1:45.26 from the outlandishly-scheduled February World Championships.

More Day 3 Event Winners

Wisconsin commit Maggie Wanezek of Elmbrook handily took the women’s 200 back with a 2:11.99. Wanezek recently set her personal best of 2:10.33 at the March NCSA Spring Championships, ranking 12th in the nation this 2023-2024 season.
Texas commit Cooper Lucas of Lakeside easily won the men’s 400 IM in 4:24.52, just off his 2024 year best of 4:23.54 from the Knoxville Pro Swim Series. Lucas owns a lifetime best of 4:18.76 from the September 2023 World Junior Championships, which puts him in 8th in the US this 2023-24 season.
Texas’ Chris O’Connor easily won the men’s 200 back at 2:03.54, dropping just about a second from prelims (2:04.44). In February, O’Connor swam an unrested 2:12.28 at a TCU dual meet. He owns a lifetime best of 1:58.24 from 2023 US Nationals, which ranked 15th in the nation at the end of the 2022-23 season.
After swimming the event for the first time since June 2022 in prelims, Texas’ Angie Coe dropped from a fresh 4:57.97 personal best to an Olympic Trials qualifying time of 4:48.76. She now adds this 400 IM cut to her 200 IM cut achieved in January.

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Austin, TX

Did you know Austin has a pro pickleball team?

Published

7 hours ago

June 17, 2024

Press Room

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Did you know Austin has a pro Pickleball team? The Texas Ranchers are one of the 22 teams in Major League Pickleball.

“Our mission is to become Americas pickleball team and the most valuable and highest grossing franchise in the league,” said Texas Ranchers CEO Evan Floersch.

The team consists of four players who were picked in a draft.

“We’ve got Christian Alshon, who was our number one overall draft pick,” said Floersch. “We have Etta Wright, who is the only Tongan in the sport. We’ve got Tina Pisnik who is an ex-Olympian tennis player and then we’ve got Pablo Tellez.”

The Ranchers play in the premier division with 12 of the best teams, one of those teams being their rival.

“We’ve got a Texas rivalry budding right now,” said Floersch. “We play the Dallas Flash, Mark Cubans team.”

The Ranchers are supported by a list of more than 30 owners, including celebrities, like Kendra Scott, Bobby Bones, Lil Wayne and Bijan Robinson, to name a few.

This year the team won’t play any tournaments in Austin, but fans can still go to local watch parties or catch the games on TV.

“Right now we have two linear deals with ESPN and FOX,” said Floersch.

As for the future of the sport in Austin, Floersch said there is a lot of excitement building around the Ranchers and pickleball in general.

“I definitely think that the sport at the pro level will continue to grow and it will continue to be a part of Austin’s culture and community,” said Floersch.

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Austin, TX

Round Rock Juneteenth shooting: No suspect in custody, police say

Published

14 hours ago

June 16, 2024

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Round Rock Juneteenth shooting: No suspect in custody, police say

Round Rock Juneteenth mass shooting

Two people are dead and multiple people are injured after a shooting at a Juneteenth concert in Round Rock Saturday night. FOX 7 Austin’s Jessica Rivera has the latest from Old Settlers Park.

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The city of Round Rock’s Juneteenth celebration ended early Saturday night after an altercation broke out between two groups. Round Rock police say during the altercation someone pulled a gun and fired it during the concert.

“It is unfortunate that we are here celebrating a wonderful event, and we have a tragedy that happens. My thoughts, my prayers go out to our victims. My condolences go out to the families of the deceased at this time,” said Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks.

Chief Banks confirmed during Sunday morning’s press conference that two people died at the scene. According to ATCEMS, four adults and two children were taken to local hospitals with potentially serious injuries.

“All the victims and the deceased were not emergency personnel or first responders. They were actually folks that were there enjoying the concert,” said Chief Banks.

Chief Banks says at this time the Round Rock Police Department and the FBI are investigating this mass shooting.

“As you can imagine, with a traumatic incident like this, people are going to have different accounts of what happened and different accounts of what that suspect might have looked like. And so, this is why it’s an ongoing investigation. We’re trying to piece that together,” said Chief Banks.

“Our goal is to put those folks behind bars. And our goal is to get them put away for life, and, and we’re going to work tirelessly to do that. No stone left unturned,” said Chief Banks.

Round Rock PD says there’s no suspect in custody at this time. They are asking for the public’s help. Anyone with any information on Saturday night’s shooting is asked to report it to the police department at 512-218-5500.

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Austin, TX

At least six shot at Old Settler's Park, ATCEMS says

Published

21 hours ago

June 16, 2024

Press Room

At least six shot at Old Settler's Park, ATCEMS says

Round Rock — At least two people are dead and multiple people are injured after a shooting at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock, according to local officials.

Round Rock Police said they received a call about a shooting at the Juneteenth Festival just before 11:00 p.m. Saturday night.

Officers were already working the event which had been promoted by the City of Round Rock and immediately began rendering aid to multiple victims.

Round Rock police said two people died but said they would not give specific numbers on injuries at this point in the investigation.

The two people deceased have not yet been identified.

Austin-Travis County EMS reported transporting six people with injuries from the scene to area hospitals, including two children.

Police say they are searching for suspects, none are in custody.

The FBI and Texas DPS are assisting in the investigation.

Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks called the shooting a senseless tragedy.

“It breaks your heart for a family that was coming out to enjoy their evening,” Banks said.

He thanked responding officers and firefighters, “I have no doubt their action saved lives tonight.”

The Juneteenth Festival concert was billed as a free family event, scheduled from 5:00 p.m. until midnight.

Performers at the concert included DJ Hella Yella and Paul Wall who wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Round Rock, we are praying for everybody.”

Police say the shooting happened near vendor stands, not the stage area.

Round Rock police is asking anyone who witnessed the shooting or who has video of the shooting to contact them at (512) 218-5500.

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