Cougars Rake in Slivers and Bronze in Friday's Finals

Feb. 25, 2011

HOUSTON - The University of Houston swimming and diving team competed in seven championship finals on day three of the Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships and emerged with four top-three finishes on Friday evening.

Houston sent five swimmers and a diver to the championship finals, while five more swimmers and a diver qualified for the consolation finals at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

With championship Saturday still to come, Houston is holding down fourth place (356) over Tulane (232.5) and Marshall (200). Rice (451), No. 23 SMU (446) and East Carolina (439.5) sit in the top-three spots heading into the final day.

"We had three silvers, a bronze and two NCAA provisional times. We really did swim well," head coach Mark Taylor said. "Our freshman and sophomores swam several personal bests throughout the day so we're pleased with that, too. Every team is doing better than ever before and as a conference we're improving right and left."

Junior Kim Eeson, sophomore Moira Fraser, senior Andrea Kells and freshman Krystan Morrell teamed up to knock out their previous season-best time in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a 1:34.80 in the first event of the night. The second-fastest time in program history earned the crew a fifth-place finish in the championship finals.

Sophomore Julia Lonnegren dove her way into the 1-meter finals, and found the battle that head diving coach Jane Figueiredo predicted. Lonnegren stayed with No. 23 SMU senior Audra Egenolf through all six dives, and came up less than four points shy of her first C-USA title. She scored 309 points to Egenolf's 312.80 to take second place.

Egenolf's victory marked the first time in C-USA history that Houston did not take the 1-meter title. Senior All-American Lacey Truelove won the consolation final by nearly 80 points earlier in the afternoon with an NCAA `A' qualifying score of 305.30.

Out to defend her title in the 400-yard individual medley, sophomore Reka Kovacs swam an intense race alongside Rice's Christian Quincy. Although Kovacs swam an NCAA `B' time in the event, her 4:17.48 wasn't enough to reclaim her title. She took the silver medal, while junior teammate Beccy Hillis finished the championship finals in seventh (4:27.79).

Kells swam for a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly (56.69), as the Cougars strengthened its lead over Tulane while battling ECU for third place midway through Friday's finals.

In the 200-yard freestyle, Eeson dropped nearly a second from her first-place preliminary time and put on a close race with SMU's Nina Rangelova to earn the rights to second place with an NCAA `B' time of 1:48.64.

Fraser (1:51.95) and freshman Heather Winn (1:52.75) set new career bests in the 200-yard freestyle consolation finals, while sophomore Kimmy Ballo swam a 1:54.95.

The Cougars received quality swims from the duo in the 100-yard breaststroke championship finals as Hillis nabbed earned her first trip to the awards stand. She earned the conference bronze with her season-best time of 1:03.71. Alongside her teammate, sophomore Holli Pisarski broke her best time, set in Friday morning's prelims, to finish in seventh (1:05.22).

Friday night concluded with the 100-yard backstroke, where Blumenthal and Ballo took fifth and sixth, respectively. Blumenthal's 58.48 earned her fifth in the consolations finals, and after swimming her season-best time in the prelims (57.89), Ballo came back with a 58.52 in the consolation finals.

Friday Night Finals

200-Yard Freestyle Relay | Championship Finals
Kim Eeson, Moira Fraser, Andrea Kells, Krystan Morrell - 5th (1:34.80) *SB

400-yard Individual Medley | Championship Finals
Reka Kovacs - 2nd (4:17.48, NCAA `B')
Beccy Hillis - 7th (4:27.79)

400-yard Individual Medley | Consolation Finals
Natalie Newcomb - 5th (4:30.68) *SB

100-Yard Butterfly | Championship Finals
Andrea Kells - 5th (56.69)

200-Yard Freestyle | Championship Finals
Kim Eeson - 2nd (1:48.64, NCAA `B')

200-Yard Freestyle | Consolation Finals
Moira Fraser - 3rd (1:51.95) *PR
Heather Winn - 5th (1:52.75) *PR
Kimmy Ballo - 8th (1:54.95)

100-Yard Breaststroke | Championship Finals
Beccy Hillis - 3rd (1:03.71) *SB
Holli Pisarski - 7th (1:05.22) *PR

100-Yard Backstroke | Consolation Finals
Marissa Blumenthal - 5th (58.48)
Kimmy Ballo - 6th (58.52)

1-Meter Diving | Championship Finals
Julia Lonnegren - 2nd (309.00, NCAA `A')

1-Meter Diving | Consolation Finals
Lacey Truelove - 1st (305.30, NCAA `A')

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