Texas Swimmers Capture Two Silvers on International Stage

Texas women’s swimming made its presence felt across two major international meets, with Erin Gemmell and Nikolett Padar bringing silver medals back to Austin.

Current and former Longhorns competed at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, and the European Championships in Paris, combining for two medals and several appearances in individual and relay finals.

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Gemmell delivered Texas’ first silver at the Pan Pacific Championships. The rising senior led off the United States’ 4x200-meter freestyle relay with a 1:57.00 split, helping Team USA finish second in 7:43.10.

Her performance provided the Americans with a strong foundation in one of the meet’s most competitive relay events.

Gemmell also reached the 200-meter freestyle final, placing sixth with a time of 1:56.88.

Rising junior Jillian Cox represented the Longhorns in three distance freestyle events. Cox finished eighth in the 1,500 meters at 16:12.25 and ninth in the 800 meters with a time of 8:28.21.

She also placed fourth in the 400-meter B final and 12th overall after touching the wall in 4:09.30.

Across the Atlantic, Padar matched Gemmell’s achievement for Hungary at the European Championships.

The rising Texas sophomore handled the opening leg of Hungary’s 4x200 freestyle relay, posting a 1:57.31 split.

The Hungarian team completed the race in 7:49.09 to secure the silver medal.

Padar also qualified for the 200 freestyle final, where she placed sixth in 1:57.29. Her meet wasn’t finished there.

She anchored Hungary’s 4x100 freestyle relay with an impressive 53.46 split, helping the team finish sixth in 3:35.47.

Former Longhorn Anna Elendt stayed busy while representing Germany.

Elendt advanced to three individual breaststroke finals, finishing fifth in both the 200 meters and 50 meters.

She recorded times of 2:23.98 and 30.35, respectively, before placing seventh in the 100-meter breaststroke at 1:06.37.

She narrowly missed a relay medal with Germany’s 4x100 medley team. Elendt contributed a 1:05.83 breaststroke split as Germany finished fourth in 3:56.21.

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The Longhorns didn’t simply send swimmers to fill international lanes. They consistently reached finals and contributed critical relay legs for three different countries.

With Gemmell, Cox and Padar returning to Austin, Texas will enter the college season carrying more international experience—and two fresh silver medals.