Marella Adds Three-Time NCAA Champion Emma Durham to Staff as Assistant Swimming Coach
5/18/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Swim/Dive
MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine head swimming & diving coach Dan Marella has announced the addition of three-time NCAA Champion Emma Durham to the staff as assistant swimming coach ahead of the 2026-27 season.Â
"We are thrilled to welcome Emma to Pepperdine," said Marella. "During her time at Penn, she established herself as one of the top recruiters in the country, while also demonstrating a tremendous ability to develop and elevate her student-athletes. Her experience as one of the most accomplished swimmers in NCAA history brings an invaluable perspective to our program and culture. This addition reflects the direction and ambition of our program. Monique and I are excited to continue building the future of Pepperdine Swimming and Diving with Emma."
Durham, formerly Emma Sticklen, is the NCAA record holder in the 200 butterfly (1:49.11) from her time as a student-athlete at the University of Texas, where she won three consecutive NCAA titles in the 200 fly from 2023-25.Â
Durham joins the staff in Malibu after spending this past season as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania. In her lone season with the Quakers, Durham helped lead the Penn women's squad to a second place finish at the Ivy League Championships, the highest finish in program history. She also contributed to seven NCAA qualifying swims and two individual Ivy League Champions.
"I am incredibly excited and honored to be joining Pepperdine University as assistant coach," said Durham. "The tight-knit community and Christian values at the heart of the university make it a truly special place. Coach Dan and I have a shared vision for this program, and the opportunity to make a real impact both in and out of the pool is what excites me most!"
Overall, Durham was a 23-time All-America selection, putting together one of the most decorated careers in NCAA swimming history. Her 100 fly mark (49.27) is seventh in NCAA history as is her 200 medley relay time (1:33.22) set with the Longhorns in 2023.
She won three individual conference titles at the 2025 SEC Championships in the 200 IM, 100 fly, and 200 fly, as well as two relays in the 200 medley and 200 free. She won her third consecutive national title in the 200 fly as well to wrap up her storied collegiate career. Durham holds multiple Big 12 and SEC records, earning Swimmer of the Year honors in both conferences with Texas.
In her 2023-24 campaign, Durham won the NCAA title in the 200 fly, took silver in the 100 fly with a school-record 49.70 and finished 11th in the 200 IM (1:54.19). She tabbed five All-American honors in total at NCAAs that season, leading the Longhorns to their third consecutive National Runner-up finish as a team.
In 2022-23, she won her first-ever national title in the 200 fly while capturing All-America honors in the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 IM, in addition to the 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, and 400 medley relay. Durham took home a gold medal in the 200 fly at Big 12 Championships for the second consecutive year, winning conference titles in all three relay events as well.
She earned two individual All-America honors in the 100 and 200 fly at the 2022 NCAA Championships as a sophomore, also placing among the top eight in the 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. At the conference level, she won four Big 12 titles in the 200 fly, 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, and 400 medley relay events.
Durham joins the Waves coming off a 2025-26 season which saw 13 new program records set under Marella's direction, including three new diving records, four new relay records, and six individual records. The Waves posted a 6th-place finish at the MPSF Championships, with six program records being set during the meet, including three freshmen helping set new program bests.Â
Durham has also been a member of the United States national team and is a two-time qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Originally a native of Katy, Texas, Durham graduated from the University of Texas in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science, eventually earning a master's degree from Texas in Communication and Media Studies in 2025.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE SWIM AND DIVEPepperdine swimming & diving has a rich history spanning four decades, having posted top-five finishes in its conference in 32 of 40 seasons. The Waves have captured three conference championships in the past four seasons, its first three conference titles, winning its first MPSF Championship in 2025 after joining the conference the season prior. In 38 seasons in the PCSC, the Waves saw 48 individual champions and 20 PCSC Swimmer or Diver of the Year awards. Andreea Trufasu stands as the program's lone Olympian, having competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.Â
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