One month ago, Emma Sticklen’s life looked a bit different.
Fresh off of her honeymoon, Sticklen was unpacking boxes in her new home in Philadelphia with her husband and exploring what her postgraduate life could be beyond the pool — something very new.
During her career in the water, Sticklen achieved a swimming career that many only dream of. She graduated from Texas — a swimming powerhouse — as a three-time individual national champion, 23-time All-American, NCAA record holder, and two-time United States Olympic Trials qualifier and national team member.
Beyond the long hours in the water and the gym at Texas, Sticklen found the time to work at swim clinics and mentor younger swimmers. As she explored career options after her move to Philadelphia, coaching called her name — and she’s now bringing her talents to Penn swimming and diving’s coaching staff.
“I developed a really big passion for helping people and coaching people, especially the younger generation,” Sticklen told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “My parents and husband would come watch me [at swim clinics] and were like, ‘You’re so good at this. Have you ever thought of coaching before?’”
Coaching also allows Sticklen to combine her different areas of expertise: her love of swimming, her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science, and her graduate certificate in sports communication.
While her husband’s new job initially brought Sticklen to Philadelphia, she knew she wanted to start her career on the pool deck at Penn as soon as the couple settled in the city.
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“I did reach out to some other colleges in the area … but I really just wanted to be at Penn,” she said. “I was really drawn to the reputation of the Ivy League and a really awesome athletic program.”
Sticklen also wanted to be very involved with developing swimmers, help take the program to the next level, and produce more NCAA qualifiers.
Sticklen said she reached out to swimming and diving head coach Mike Schnur in July to express interest in coaching — and everything fell into place from there.
“I am thrilled to add someone of Emma’s caliber and character to Penn Swimming,” Schnur said in a Penn Athletics release. “Her experiences as a three-time NCAA champion, an NCAA record holder, and multi-year member of the United States national team will be invaluable for our student athletes as they strive for Ivy, NCAA, and international excellence.”
“I love swimming. I want [swimmers] to reach their goals. I want them to get better. I want to make them better. I want to be a part of that,” Sticklen said. “[At Penn,] I feel like I’d really be able to help more kids reach the NCAA qualifying level.”
While Texas and the Southeastern Conference are very different from Penn and the Ivy League, Sticklen is no stranger to the Ancient Eight. Her husband is fellow Texas native and former Harvard swimmer Harris Durham, who graduated this spring and achieved personal bests in the 100-yard and 500-yard freestyle at the 2025 Ivy League championships.
Mitch Dalton, one of Sticklen’s former coaches at Texas, also spent five seasons as a men’s swimming assistant coach at Princeton, helping lead the Tigers to four Ivy League championships and three NCAA championship appearances.
Dalton described Sticklen as a prime example of the success possible when coaches and athletes are in sync, telling Swimming World Magazine that she is “a true example of what a coachable and dedicated athlete can do.”
“Her work ethic is all Emma; we never had to teach her to work,” Dalton said. “Her coachability outside the pool has helped her make significant gains in the weight room, nutrition, recovery, etc.”
At Texas, swimming was Sticklen’s first priority, but at Penn, she recognizes athletes balance everything from academics to social life — and that making athletics a top priority is not always possible.
“[Dalton told me that] the kids already come into the pool a lot with a lot of extra academic stress on their plate. So you do have to take that into consideration when giving them a lot of work in the pool, and keep in mind they’re already coming in with that added pressure,” Sticklen said. “I definitely need to take that into consideration when trying to coach them and giving them workouts.”
She emphasized that she will do everything she can to help her swimmers reach their collegiate swimming goals, big or small.
“I’m here to support them. I had coaches that always told me, ‘I want to help you reach every dream you’ve ever had in the pool,’ and I feel like I am taking on that responsibility,” Sticklen said.
Sticklen recognizes the one of a kind perspective she has as a coach not much older than the athletes.
“I’m a cool young mom [and] it’s definitely unique. But I’ve really gotten along with all of them very well.” Sticklen said.
At the end of the day, Sticklen is on the deck of Sheerr Pool to help everyone improve in the water.
“I miss that feeling of chasing excellence, as cheesy as it sounds,” she said. “But I already had my time. I’m here to make everyone else better. If there is a story or a moment where I see one of my experiences fit, I will gladly share that experience with people.”
As a coach, Sticklen is looking forward to helping with stroke technique and leading the backstroke and butterfly groups, especially when the season picks up in November. Schnur will continue to lead the marquee distance freestyle and breaststroke groups, and fellow assistant coach Andrew Abeysinghe will coach the sprint freestyle athletes.
