Jill Sterkel
-
- School:
- Texas
-
- Sport:
- Swimming & Diving
-
- Class of:
- 1981
Bio
The 1981 winner of what was then the Broderick Cup was Texas swimming legend Jill Sterkel, the first swimmer to earn this prestigious collegiate honor. At Texas, Jill powered the Lady Longhorns to the final two AIAW national championships in 1981 and 1982, captured 16 individual national titles across AIAW and NCAA competition, and earned 27 All-America honors. She also claimed back-to-back Broderick Sport Awards for swimming in 1980 and 1981. On the international stage, Jill won Olympic gold at just 15 years old in the 4x100 freestyle relay at the 1976 Montreal Games, and added another gold and two bronze medals at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics. Jill later guided Texas as head coach and now serves as Co-Executive Director of the UT T-Association.