University of Houston Athletics
Swimming and Diving Set to Open Home Schedule Against Miami
11/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Nov. 3, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston swimming and diving team will play host to the Miami Hurricanes in the first home meet of the season at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium at noon on Saturday (CRWC).
After opening the season on the road against nationally-ranked powers SMU and Texas A&M, the Cougars return to Houston ready for a home stand.
"It's going to be wonderful," head swimming coach Mark Taylor said. "We love our Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. It's always good to have our home crowd there, having friends and family of our student-athletes be there screaming for the Cougars. It always makes us more excited and pumps us up."
Without being listed on the CSCAA Division I Top-25 Poll and claiming 10th place at last season's ACC Championships, the Hurricanes appear to be a slight break from the No. 19 SMU and No. 7 Texas A&M squads that Houston opened the season again.
Taylor quickly disproved that notion.
"They are loaded this year and are stronger than they've been in probably the last 10 years," Taylor said. "They have several fantastic international swimmers who are fast. I can't wait to see our girls race them. It's going to be fun and exciting. I wouldn't miss it that's for sure."
Miami head swimming coach Christine Shefchunas and head diving coach Randy Ableman return 15 letter winners from a year ago, many of whom have already set new personal records in the team's season-opening competition against Florida, Florida State, Florida International and Florida Gulf Coast.
In a tri-meet against Florida State and Florida International on Oct. 23, sophomore Sofia Johansson led the Hurricanes by winning the 100-yard breaststroke and swimming as part of the winning 200-yard medley relay team. The 200-yard medley relay will be the first event the teams compete in on Saturday.
"They are stronger than us in the relays," Taylor said. "So, the individual events are where we're going to have to make our mark this time."
Taylor and his swimmers will be ready for the challenge as the home opener's event list will feature strengths in several specialties. For the first time this season, the Cougars will compete in the 1,650-yard freestyle event. Swimming the mile will showcase the strength the UH distance swimmers have displayed in the early months of the season.
"Our distance swimmers are going to be good," Taylor said. "The 1,650-yard freestyle is 66 lengths of the pool and there's nothing worse than swimming shoulder-to-shoulder with somebody that you're in competition with and that's going to happen. They've got a really good little distance swimmer and we've also got a couple of girls that are going to be able to race her in the mile and the 500-yard freestyle."
"We're also doing the 400-yard individual medley, which is one of Reka Kovacs specialties. They will also be swimming the 50-yard freestyle so there will be some good fast races, too."
Kovacs holds the UH record in the event to prove Taylor's point, but as her coach pointed out she will have help as the Cougars' depth continues to grow.
Junior Kim Eeson holds the team's season-best times in the 50, 100, 200 and 500-yard freestyle and has had a large role in the Cougars' best relay times this season. As the distances increase, the rookie swimmers are finding their role. Eeson and Kovacs lead the team in the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle times, respectively, but freshman Laykin Lowry holds the second-best team time in both events.
Sophomore Kimmy Ballo and junior Beccy Hillis have stepped up as leaders in the backstroke and breaststroke events, and will look to counteract Miami's Johansson.
On the diving side, senior Lacey Truelove and sophomore Julia Lonnegren each set NCAA `A' qualifying marks against Texas A&M in their last time out.
The duo will work against a Hurricane diving squad led by junior transfer Carrie Dragland. Dragland won the 1-meter event against Florida State and Florida Gulf Coast in Miami's most recent action.
Aside from the experience that comes from competing against the country's elite programs, the Cougars will open the season at home with an added confidence.
"They were racing one of the fastest teams in the country and they did not quit at all," Taylor said. "They fought and did some good swims; we had a couple of them swim some lifetime bests. I couldn't be more proud of them.
In the past, when we've gone up against a top five or six ranked team in the country, they didn't show up. But now, some of our girls that are in the leadership roles, like (senior) Andrea Kells, Kim Eeson and Reka Kovacs, have stepped up. They're saying `Hey girls, we don't want to get beat so let's race.' They come to play."
The meet originally scheduled for 1 p.m. will kick off at noon at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Students in attendance can register to win an authentic UH Nike polo and one week of free parking at the Parking Spot as part of NovemberFest.
Players Mentioned
