Day One of the Houston Cougar Classic Fall Invitational
11/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Nov. 21, 2009
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston swimming and diving team wrapped-up day one of the Cougar Classic Fall Invitational on Friday night at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. The Cougars currently sit in fourth place in the team standings with 144 points.
Leading the way for the Cougars was senior Anastasia Pozdniakova who won the 3-meter diving event with a score of 364.40, while sophomore Jessalyn Almond earned eighth place by her mark of 256.00.
Sophomore Kimberley Eeson led the Cougar swimmers in the 500-yard freestyle with a ninth-place finish in 4:54.83. That was good for the sixth fastest time in Houston history. Sophomore Beccy Hillis posted a 5:01.54 for a 13th-place finish, and Olga Bordatcheva finished right behind her in 15th place in 5:06.68. Freshman Kimmy Ballo placed 20th in 5:10.00 and sophomore Rachel Holcomb took 28th place in a time of 5:29.13.
Freshman Reka Kovacs' ninth-place finish in the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:03.73 was the second fastest in Houston history. Hillis placed 16th in the same event with a time of 2:06.98 for the ninth fastest time in Houston history. Junior Andrea Kells and sophomore Natalie Newcomb finished back-to-back in 26th and 27th place in 2:07.18 and 2:09.16, respectively.
Senior Jessica Shamburger was the lone Cougar swimmer in the 50-yard freestyle and clocked in at 24.31 for a 27th place finish.
The Houston 400-yard medley relay teams finished in seventh and 10th place, respectively. The `A' team consisted of Shamburger, Hillis, Kells and Eeson and they completed the event in 3:49.23 for the third fastest time in Houston history. The `B' team with Ballo, freshman Christine Salinas, Kovacs, and Newcomb clocked in at 3:57.77.
Houston captured both seventh and 16th place in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Shamburger, Eeson, Kells and Salinas clocked in at 1:36.70. Houston's other relay team consisted of freshman Holli Pisarski, sophomore Olga Bordatcheva, Ballo and Kovacs, and they clocked a 1:41.78 finish.
Houston will be back in action on Saturday for day two of the Cougar Classic Fall Invitational at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium. The competition will include SMU, LSU, UNLV, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Tulane, Kansas and New Mexico.
Day 1 Scores
1) Texas A&M 464
2) SMU 221
3) LSU 183
4) Houston 144
5) Tulane 49
6) Air Force 38
7) Incarnate Word 37
8) Kansas 28
9) UNLV 14
NOTES FROM THE PRELIMS
- During Friday mornings' prelims, sophomores Olga Bordatcheva (5:06.36) and Natalie Newcomb (5:09.36) set personal bests in the 500-yard freestyle and earned a spot in the finals.
- The 50-yard freestyle featured four Cougar personal bests. Freshmen Christine Salinas finished in 25.08, Holli Pisarksi finished in 25.62, Haley Weathers finish in 27.01 and Catherine Finley finished in 27.98 all turned in PRs.
Players Mentioned
