With Emma Sticklen’s 49.79, The Women’s 100 Fly Just Got A Lot More Competitive

TEXAS VS. NC STATE

• January 27 to 28, 2023
• Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, Texas
• SCY (25 yards)
• Live Results

Coming into today, did you think that the women’s 100 fly would only be a race between Kate Douglass, Maggie MacNeil, Torri Huske, Claire Curzan, and potentially Gretchen Walsh? Well, you thought wrong, because Texas’s Emma Sticklen just dropped a 49.79 in the event at a dual meet between the Longhorns and NC State.

This time was a massive personal best for Sticklen, who came into this meet having been as fast as 50.29—the time she swam to finish fourth behind MacNeil, Huske, and Douglass at 2022 NCAAs. In addition, it also makes Sticklen the eighth-fastest performer of all-time in the 100 fly, as well as the eleventh woman in history to break 50 seconds.

Sticklen reset her own Texas school record with this swim.

All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 100-yard Butterfly:

1. Maggie MacNeil, Michigan — 48.89 (2021)
2. Kate Douglass, Virginia — 49.04 (2022)
3. Torri Huske, Stanford — 49.17 (2022)
4. Claire Curzan, Stanford — 49.24 (2022)
5. Louise Hansson, USC — 49.26 (2019)
6. Erika Brown, Tennessee — 49.38 (2020)
7. Kelsi Dahlia, Louisville — 49.43 (2016)
8. Emma Sticklen, Texas — 49.79 (2023)
9. Regan Smith, Stanford — 49.87 (2022)
10. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia — 49.89 (2022)
11. Katie McLaughlin, Cal — 49.97 (2019)

Six out of the 11 women in the sub-50 club are currently swimming collegiately, which puts into perspective how competitive this event will be at NCAAs this year. While Sticklen still has a bit to drop in order to match the likes of Douglass, Huske, MacNeil, and Curzan, her swim from today shows that she’s well-qualified to be within the same conversation as those swimmers.

Here’s a look at the top women’s 100 flyers for the 2022-23 season:

Sub-50 100 flyers, 2022-23 Season:

Compared to 2022 NCAAs, Sticklen was 0.23 seconds faster on her first 50 and 0.27 seconds faster on her second 50, which accounts for the near half-second difference between the two swims. You can watch video of the race down below:

Emma Sticklen, Comparative Splits, 2022 to 2023: