Swimming and Diving Claims Three C-USA Specialty Awards
4/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
April 8, 2009
IRVING, Texas--University of Houston swimmer Sasha Schwendenwein, and divers Anastasia Pozdniakova and Jessalyn Almond claimed three of the four 2009 Conference USA specialty awards on Wednesday.
Schwendenwein was named C-USA Swimmer of the Year, after becoming the first Houston swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 1989, while also earning All-America status in the 200-yard butterfly. She was named the C-USA Swimmer of the Meet at the C-USA Championships, after setting a new meet record in the 200-yard butterfly (1:56.48), as well as a new personal record in the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.79). The South Africa native was also named C-USA Swimmer of the Week three times this season. This is the first time a UH swimmer has been a recipient of the Swimmer of the Year award.
Pozdniakova, a native of Elektrostal, Russia, was named the C-USA Diver of the Year, after winning the 1-meter event (351.15 points) at the 2009 NCAA Championships. The 2009 C-USA Diver of the Meet was the first Cougar to win the 1-meter championship since Yulia Pakhalina in 2003. She finished second in the 3-meter competition with 386.10 points, and by finishing in the Top 10 in all three events at the championships; she became the first diver since Linda Pesek in 1991 to accomplish that feat.
The junior diver also earned All-America status for all three events. Pozdniakova teamed with Pakhalina at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing to win the silver medal in the 3-meter synchronized springboard with 323.61 points. At the Zone D Diving Meet, Pozdniakova won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events and finished fifth in the platform event. A Houston diver has claimed all eight Diver of the Year awards that C-USA has handed out.
Almond, who was named the C-USA Freshman Diver of the Year, after finishing fifth in the 3-meter event, sixth in the 1-meter and fourth on the platform event at the C-USA Championships and she was the only freshman diver to score at the league meet. The Calgary-native went on to finish 16th in the 3-meter and 24th in the 1-meter event at the Zone D Diving Championships. She claimed Houston's third-straight Freshman Diver of the Year distinction and seventh overall for the program.
Pozdniakova, Schwendenwein and sophomore diver Courtney Forcucci concluded competition at the 2009 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, while guiding the Cougars to a 17th place finish with 47 points at the Championships, which was the highest finish at the NCAA Championships since finishing 17th at the 1985-86 Championship meet.
Players Mentioned
