University of Houston
Conference USA Championships
Cougars Take Fourth in Conference USA Championships
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Feb. 26, 2011
HOUSTON - The University of Houston swimming and diving team claimed its second individual title and set five personal bests to finish the 2011 Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships in fourth place, Saturday evening at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.
The Cougars (522) defeated Tulane (313.5) and Marshall (279) to clinch fourth place for the second-straight year. Rice (702) snapped a five-year win streak for No. 23 SMU (658) to win its first C-USA Championship in conference history. East Carolina (676.5) finished behind the Owls to claim second place.
Senior All-American Lacey Truelove collected her third C-USA platform diving title, performing all five dives with precision and accuracy to build a lead that would fend off No. 23 SMU's senior Audra Egenolf, 309.10-291.60. Sophomore Julia Lonnegren posted a successful final, as well. Her NCAA `A' qualifying mark of 284.30 to nail down third place.
For guiding her divers to their 27th and 28th Conference USA individual titles, head diving coach Jane Figueiredo was awarded her tenth-consecutive C-USA Diving Coach of the Year. She now has accepted the honor for every year that the conference has awarded it.
Figueiredo and her divers will now prepare for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships in Austin, Texas, starting March 11.
Before Truelove claimed her fourth C-USA crown, freshmen Heather Winn and Laykin Lowry were up first in the 1,650-yard freestyle championship finals. Winn took seventh place by blasting past her personal best in the mile by more than 12 seconds. Her 16:58.63 ranks in the top-10 fastest performances in UH history.
Lowry's seed time placed her in the championship finals and she responded with a time of 17:14.82 for 11th place. Freshman Emma Nelson swam a career-best time of 18:05.26 in Saturday's timed finals in prelims.
Sophomore Kimmy Ballo missed her personal best by .01 in the 200-yard backstroke consolation finals, taking second in the runner-up heat. Freshman Marissa Blumenthal executed a tough swim alongside her with a time of 2:07.95.
In the 100-yard freestyle, junior Kim Eeson and sophomore Moira Fraser gave the field a tough competition in the championship and consolation finals, respectively. Eeson beat a career-best time with a 50.73. She cracked Houston's top-10 all-time best performances and earned fifth place in a close race. One second is all that separated Eeson's fifth-place time from the first-place time.
Fraser, too, swam a personal best in the event when her 52.10 gave her a sixth-place finish in the consolation finals.
Out to defend her title in the 200-yard breaststroke, junior Beccy Hillis looked tough in the water and challenged No. 23 SMU's Raminta Dvariskyte the entire race. Hillis raced for an NCAA `B' time of 2:15.41, but Dvariskyte set a new pool record to claim the win.
Sophomore Hollii Pisarski stepped up in a big way in the event's consolation finals, shaving more than three seconds off her career-best time to win the heat. Junior Natalie Newcomb missed her best time by .04 seconds to finish the consolation finals in fifth.
Sophomore Reka Kovacs and senior Andrea Kells teamed up in the 200-yard butterfly to break into Houston's all-time best performer list. Kovacs swam her best time (2:02.93) in the event to claim fifth. Kells swam her specialty stroke for the last time in a C-USA championship in 2:03.87, becoming the Cougars' ninth-best performer all-time in the event.
The 400-yard freestyle relay wrapped up the 2011 C-USA Championships. Freshman Colleen Donovan, Fraser, Kells and Eeson pulled together for their best time of the year (3:27.35) and seventh-best performance in school history.
Saturday Finals
1650-Yard Freestyle | Championship Finals (Timed Finals)
Heather Winn - 7th (16:58.63) *PR
Laykin Lowry - 11th (17:14.82)
Platform Diving | Championship Finals
Lacey Truelove - 1st (309.10, NCAA `A')
Julia Lonnegren - 3rd (284.30, NCAA `A')
200-Yard Backstroke | Consolation Finals
Kimmy Ballo - 2nd (2:03.02)
Marissa Blumenthal - 7th (2:07.95)
100-Yard Freestyle | Championship Finals
Kim Eeson - 5th (50.73) *PR
100-Yard Freestyle | Consolation Finals
Moira Fraser - 6th (52.10) *PR
200-Yard Breaststroke | Championship Finals
Beccy Hillis - 2nd (2:15.41, NCAA `B')
200-Yard Breaststroke | Consolation Finals
Holli Pisarski - 1st (2:20.34) *PR
Natalie Newcomb - 5th (2:23.19)
200-Yard Butterfly | Championship Finals
Reka Kovacs - 5th (2:02.93) *PR
Andrea Kells - 8th (2:03.87)
200-Yard Butterfly | Consolation Finals
Laykin Lowry - 6th (2:08.84)
400-Yard Freestyle Relay | Championship Finals
Colleen Donovan, Moira Fraser, Andrea Kells, Kim Eeson - 5th (3:27.35)
Players Mentioned
