University of Houston
Rice Invitational Day 1
Cougars Open Rice Invitational
11/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
HOUSTON - The University of Houston Swimming & Diving team captured five top-five finishes at the Rice Invitational, Friday night at Rice Aquatic Center Competition pool.
After the first day of competition, Houston is in second place with a score of 65. Rice leads the way in first place with 115 points.
"We saw some good improvements from last week," Swimming and Diving Head Coach Ryan Wochomurka said. "Our challenge is to win the gap between sessions and come out firing tomorrow morning."
Houston opened the invitational with podium finish in the 400-yard medley. The team of Eleanna Koutsouveli, Ashley Grijalva, Sharo Rodriguez and Hanna Blewett touched the wall at 3:52.16 to capture second place.
Freshman Zarena Brown was the highest finisher for the Cougars in the 500-yard freestyle. The Arvada, Colo., native, rounded out the top five with a time of 5:03.02. Fellow freshman Laura Laderoute finished fourth in the 200-yard IM. The West Linn, Ore., native, netted a time of 2:08.13 to nab Houston's third top-five finish. In the 50-yard freestyle, junior Cait Horner also finished fourth overall, touching the wall at 24.41.
In the final relay event of the night, the team of Julie Gibson, Hannah Middleton, Emily Longfellow and Rachel Hobbins placed third with a time of 7:53.91.
Houston returns to the pool Saturday morning for the final day of competition at the Rice Invitational. The first session will start at 10 a.m., with the second session starting at 2 p.m.
RESULTS
Overall
1. Rice - 115
2. Houston - 65
TOP FINISHER
400-Yard Medley Relay
2. Eleanna Koutsouveli, Ashley Grijalva, Sharo Rodriguez, Hanna Blewett - 3:52.16
500-Yard Freestyle
5. Zarena Brown - 5:03.02
200-Yard IM
4. Laura Laderoute - 2:08.13
50-Yard Freestyle
4. Cait Horner - 24.41
800-Yard Freestyle Relay
3. Julie Gibson, Hannah Middleton, Emily Longfellow, Rachel Hobbins - 7:53.91
UP NEXT
Following the final day of the Rice Invitational, the Cougars will host the Pearland Invitational at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center from Nov. 18-20. Houston will compete against 10 teams in the three-day invitational.
COUGARS TO HOST AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Houston will host the American Athletic Conference Championships for the second consecutive year as the best swimmers and divers in the league visit the CRWC from Feb. 15-18, 2017. Following the conference meet, the Cougars will look to close the season at the NCAA Championships, to be held March 15-18, 2017 in Indianapolis, Ind.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in University of Houston Cougar athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonAthletics), Twitter (@UHCougars), Instagram (houstoncougars) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/UHAthletics). In addition, the swimming & diving team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonCougarSwimmingDiving) and Twitter pages (@UHCougarSwim), which provide regular updates on the team and live results during home meets.
--UHCougars.com--
Players Mentioned
