(Sacha Schwendenwein and Anastasia Pozdniakova will lead the Cougars at the NCAA Championships. Photo by Darla Tamulits-La Vita Loca Photography) HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 18, 2009) The University of Houston swimming and diving team will compete at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships this weekend on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Three Cougars are scheduled to compete at the meet and it marks the ninth consecutive year that at least one swimmer or diver has qualified to compete at the championships.
Making her first appearance at the Championships and becoming the first swimmer to qualify since 1989 is Sacha Schwendenwein. She will compete in three events beginning on Thursday with the 500-yard freestyle. She ranks 32nd in the event entering the meet. She will continue on Friday in the 200-yard freestyle, where she ranked 22nd and will conclude the meet on Saturday swimming the 200-yard butterfly, with a ranking of 25th.
Divers Anastasia Pozdniakova and Courtney Forcucci will join Schwendenwein at the championships, competing in all three diving events. The meet will open on Thursday with the 1-meter competition, continue on Friday with the 3-meter competition and close on Sunday with the platform event.
The duo qualified for the meet after competing at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships last weekend in Missouri. Pozdniakova won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events and finished second in the platform event. Forcucci added a ninth place finish in the 3-meter event and was fifth in both the 1-meter and platform events.
For a complete recap of each day's events and results at the NCAA Championships log onto www.UHCougars.com. Fans can also follow live results at http://www.aggieathletics.com/ncaawsimstats.html.
COLUMBUS, OHIO (Mrach 23, 2008) Three University of Houston divers capped their 2007-08 season in impressive style by earning All-America honors on the platform during the final day of the NCAA Championships on Saturday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State.Freshman Lacey Truelove, competing in her first NCAA Championship, earned the best finish by any Cougar at the 2008 meet, finishing sixth on the platform with 272.35 points during the finals. It was the first All-America honor for the London, Ontario, native, who recorded 304.95 points during the preliminaries earlier in the day.Senior captain Ginni van Katwijk won the consolation finals with 296.20 points, while freshman Courtney Forcucci finished 15th with 224.40 points.It was the second All-America honor at the 2008 NCAA Championship for van Katwijk, who finished 10th on the 3-meter springboard on Friday.Competing in her first NCAA Championship, Forcucci collected the first All-America honor of her career.With their performance on Saturday alone, the Cougar trio earned 24 points to help lead Houston to a final team score of 29 points. The Cougars finished 28th in the overall team standings, the first time during the last eight seasons that UH failed to finish among the Top-25 team leaders at the nation’s top collegiate meet. van Katwijk collected 252.70 points, while Forcucci posted 226.35 points during the preliminaries earlier in the day.Brittany Viola of Miami (Fla.) won the platform national championship with 362.60 points during the finals.Arizona won the 2008 team national championship with 484 points, while Auburn finished second with 348 points. The Cougars earned the second most points among Conference USA teams, trailing only SMU, which earned 126 points to finish 11th.Forcucci earned her place at the NCAA Championship after finishing second on the 1-meter springboard during the three-day meet's first day. van Katwijk and Truelove qualified the next day after finishing 1-2, respectively, on the 3-meter board.Truelove added to her impressive resume during her first collegiate season by winning the platform title at the NCAA Zone D meet on Sunday.While Truelove and Forcucci will compete in their first NCAA Championship, the event is nothing new for diving head coach Jane Figueiredo. During her illustrious 18-year career at UH, Figueiredo now has led 26 divers to the NCAA Championship.Adding her divers’ 2008 performances to her resume, Figueiredo has mentored 13 divers to 39 All-America honors.This marked the eighth consecutive year that at least one UH diver competed at the NCAA Championship, and it was the fifth straight season that the Cougars sent multiple divers to the Championship.
COLUMBUS, OHIO (March 22, 2008) University of Houston senior captain Ginni van Katwijk scored 313.90 points to finish 12th on the 3-meter springboard to lead the Cougars during the second day of the 2008 NCAA Championships on Friday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State.
The Grootebroek, Netherlands, native qualified for the finals after scoring 311.00 points to ranks 10th. van Katwijk saved her best performance for last, scoring 54.60 points on her final dive to qualify for the finals.
Later in the day, she recorded 313.65 points in the consolation finals for her final standing. With that performance, van Katwijk earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championship for the second straight season. In 2007, she finished second in the consolation finals on the platform for her first All-America award.
In addition, van Katwijk earned five points for the Cougars in the overall team standings. Houston has finished among the Top-25 leaders at the NCAA Championship for seven consecutive seasons entering the 2008 meet.
Ohio State's Chelsea Davis won the 3-meter national championship with 365.85 points in the finals. Teammate Bianca Alvarez finished second with 354.50 points.
Arizona leads the team standings with 361 points heading into the final day. Auburn is second with 244 points, while Texas A&M is third with 227 points.
Freshmen Lacey Truelove and Courtney Forcucci also are competing in their first NCAA Championship meets and competed on Friday. Truelove placed 19th in the preliminaries with 284.20 points, while Forcucci scored 247.10 points to finish 36th.
The Cougars wrap up their stay Saturday, beginning with the platform trials at 12:30 p.m. (CDT). The platform consolation finals are slated to begin at 2:15 p.m. (CDT) with the swimming and diving finals starting at 6 p.m. (CDT).
Forcucci earned her place at the NCAA Championship after finishing second on the 1-meter springboard during the three-day meet's first day. van Katwijk and Truelove qualified the next day after finishing 1-2, respectively, on the 3-meter board.
Truelove added to her impressive resume during her first collegiate season by winning the platform title at the NCAA Zone D meet on Sunday.
While Truelove and Forcucci will compete in their first NCAA Championship, the event is nothing new for diving head coach Jane Figueiredo. During her illustrious 18-year career at UH, Figueiredo now has led 26 divers to the NCAA Championship.
Adding van Katwijk's performance Friday to her resume, Figueiredo also has mentored 11 divers to 36 All-America honors.
This marks the eighth consecutive year that at least one UH diver has competed at the NCAA Championship and it will be the fifth straight season that the Cougars have sent multiple divers to the nation's top collegiate meet.
COLUMBUS, OHIO (March 20, 2008) – Three University of Houston divers competed in the women’s 1-meter event Thursday at the 2008 NCAA Championship at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State.
Senior captain Ginni van Katwijk placed 18th with 263.15 points, while freshman Courtney Forcucci finished 21st with 260.15 points. Freshman Lacey Truelove placed 38th with 224.65 points.
The divers will compete on the 3-meter springboard, beginning with trials at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) Friday. The consolation finals for places nine through 16 will begin at 2:30 p.m. (CDT) with the swimming and diving finals scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (CDT).
This is the second-career appearance for van Katwijk at the NCAA Championship. In 2007, she placed second in the consolation finals and earned All-America honors on the platform.
This marks the first NCAA Championship appearance for both Forcucci and Truelove.
During head coach Jane Figueiredo’s 18-year career at UH, she has led 26 divers to the NCAA Championship, including 10 divers who earned 35 All-America honors.
Figueiredo was honored Conference USA Diving Coach of the Year for the seventh-straight year earlier this season.
HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 19, 2008) Three University of Houston divers will begin competition at the 2008 NCAA Championship on Thursday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State.
Senior captain Ginni van Katwijk and freshmen Courtney Forcucci and Lacey Truelove earned their places at the nation's top collegiate meet with solid performances throughout the NCAA Zone D meet last weekend at UH's own Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium.
The Cougar trio is scheduled to compete in all three events at the NCAA Championship. Their schedule begins at 12:30 p.m. (CDT), Thursday with the 1-meter diving trials. The consolation finals for places nine through 16 will begin at 2:15 p.m. (CDT) with the finals of both swimming and diving slated to start at 6 p.m. (CDT).
On Friday, the divers will compete on the 3-meter springboard, beginning with the 3-meter trials at 12:30 p.m. (CDT). The consolation finals for places nine through 16 begins at 2:30 p.m. (CDT) with the swimming and diving finals scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (CDT).
The Cougars wrap up their stay Saturday, beginning with the platform trials at 12:30 p.m. (CDT). The platform consolation finals are slated to begin at 2:15 p.m. (CDT) with the swimming and diving finals starting at 6 p.m. (CDT).
All-session tickets are available for $60 with sessions for each day's preliminaries selling for $10 and sessions for each day's finals going for $15. Tickets can be bought in advance by calling the Ohio State Ticket Office at 1-800-G0-BUCKS.
Live results of the 2008 NCAA Championship will be available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com by clicking on the NCAA Championships logo in the middle of the women's swimming and diving home page.
van Katwijk will make her second career appearance at the NCAA Championship. A year ago, the Grootebroek, Netherlands, native won the consolation finals and earned All-America honors on the platform.
Forcucci and Truelove will compete in their first NCAA Championship
Forcucci earned her place at the NCAA Championship after finishing second on the 1-meter springboard during the three-day meet's first day. van Katwijk and Truelove qualified the next day after finishing 1-2, respectively, on the 3-meter board.
Truelove added to her impressive resume during her first collegiate season by winning the platform title at the NCAA Zone D meet on Sunday.
While Truelove and Forcucci will compete in their first NCAA Championship, the event is nothing new for diving head coach Jane Figueiredo. During her illustrious 18-year career at UH, Figueiredo now has led 26 divers to the NCAA Championship, including 10 divers who earned 35 All-America honors.
This marks the eighth consecutive year that at least one UH diver has competed at the NCAA Championship and it will be the fifth straight season that the Cougars have sent multiple divers to the nation's top collegiate meet.
HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 16, 2008)- University of Houston senior captain Ginni van Katwijk and freshman Lacey Truelove became the second and third Cougars to qualify for the 2008 NCAA Championship with their performances Saturday afternoon during the NCAA Zone D Diving Meet at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium.
van Katwijk won the 3-meter event with 641.05 points with Truelove a close second with 637.10 points. Both Cougars joined freshman Courtney Forcucci as qualifiers for the 2008 NCAA Championship.
van Katwijk held third place with 322.35 points following the preliminaries behind teammate Truelove who recorded 325.25 points.
Forcucci, who qualified for the NCAA Championship with her second-place performance in Friday's 1-meter event, finished fifth on the 3-meter board with 572.55 points.
This marks the second time van Katwijk will compete in the NCAA Championship. In 2007, van Katwijk finished second in the platform diving consolation finals with 294.75 points.
Forcucci and Truelove will compete at the NCAA Championship for the first time.
They will be the 24th, 25th and 26th divers to compete at the NCAA Championship under head coach Jane Figueiredo.
Missouri's Kendra Melnychuk also qualified for the NCAA Championship after finishing fourth with 621.80 points in the 3-meter event.
Texas' Jonathan Wilcox won the men's 1-meter event with 686.40 points, while teammates Matthew Cooper and Mike Wong placed second and third.
The meet will wrap up Sunday when both men and women compete in the platform event. The men's event will start at 10 a.m., and the women's event is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.
The women's qualifiers for the 2008 NCAA Championship are Ginni van Katwijk (Houston), Courtney Forcucci (Houston), Lacey Truelove (Houston), Mary Yarrison (Texas), Kathryn Kelly (Texas), and Kendra Melnychuk (Missouri).
The men's qualifiers are Gregory Destephen (Missouri), Jonathan Wilcox (Texas), Matthew Cooper (Texas), and Mike Wong (Texas).
Three more women's qualifiers, and one more men's qualifier will be decided after Sunday's platform event.
By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 28, 2009) Freshman diver Courtney Forcucci scored 314.80 points to finish second on the 3-meter springboard and help lead the University of Houston swimming and diving team to a 4th place finish after day two of the 2008 Conference USA Championship at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
Forcucci lead the Cougar divers that earned three places out of the top five places in the event. Senior captain Ginni van Katwijk finished fourth with 300.85 points, while freshman Lacey Truelove placed fifth with 286.60 points.
The Cougar's 400-yard medley relay made it to the medal stand, taking the bronze medal in the event. The team was made up of sophomore backstroker Jessica Shamburger, junior breaststroker Andrea Pa’lmai, freshman butterflier Andrea Kells and junior freestyler Sasha Schwendenwein finished with the time of 3:51.74.
In the team standings, the Cougars improved to fourth place after Thursday evening's finals with 116 points. Defending champion SMU led the team standings with 323 points, while Rice was in second with 213 points. East Carolina (178) stood in third with Marshall (116) placing fifth.
The meet continues at 10 a.m., Friday with the preliminaries of the 400-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard backstroke. Preliminaries for the women’s 1-meter diving and men’s 3-meter diving are slated to begin around 1 p.m. with the finals of all the day’s events starting at 6 p.m.
IRVING, TEXAS (February 4, 2008) Houston’s Andrea Pa’lmai is the Conference USA Swimmer of the Week after leading the Cougars to a 1-1 record last weekend. The junior was solid against No. 6 Texas A&M and earned multiple event wins against New Orleans. Houston’s Courtney Forcucci is the Diver of the Week for the second week in a row. Forcucci was the Cougars’ leading performer last weekend, sweeping both diving events against the Aggies and UNO.
Pa’lmai led the Cougars last weekend to a 1-1 record. Against No. 6 Texas A&M, she placed second in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:24.14. The mark was the fourth-fastest time in school history in that event. The junior then finished sixth in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:08.05. Against UNO, Pa’lmai was one of three swimmers to earn multiple event wins. She won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.12 and captured first place in the 200-yard backstroke with a clocking of 2:04.18, winning by more than 6.5 seconds. The weekly award is the second of Pa’lmai’s career, her first in 2007-08.
Forcucci was the Cougars’ leading performer during a week in which UH went 1-1 in dual meets. At No. 6 Texas A&M, the freshman collected both of the Cougars’ event wins as she swept both the 1- and 3-meter springboard events. She scored 312.83 points on the 3-meter board to win by nearly 25 points. Forcucci was the only diver to crack 300 points. The South Carolina native grabbed top honors on the 1-meter board with 284.62 points, winning by more than 14 points. She duplicated the sweep the following day against UNO to help the Cougars grab the dual meet win. This is Forcucci’s third weekly honor in 2007-08 (Nov. 6, Jan. 29).
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 2, 2008) One sophomore, two juniors and three freshmen were the stars of the day as the University of Houston swimming and diving team defeated the University of New Orleans 105-71 in their final regular-season home meet of the season.
The six swimmers combined to win all but one swimming event and both diving events to snap a five-meet losing streak.
The Cougars, who finished the regular season with a 9-8 overall record, recorded their third straight winning season, the first time that feat has been accomplished since 1983-86.
Juniors Sasha Schwendenwein and Andrea Pa’lmai and freshmen Brittany Copeland led the way with a pair of event wins each.
Schwendenwein won the 1,000-yard freestyle after posting a time of 10:40.51. The Randburg, South Africa, native also won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:09.30.
Pa’lmai led all swimmers with a time of 1:56.12 in the 200-yard freestyle. The Budapest, Hungary, native also won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:04.18.
Copeland won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.20. She also captured first place in the 100-yard freestyle after posting a time of 55.07.
Sophomore Kristine Kelly captured first place in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 5:01.40, while freshman Paige Bissett finished first in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:23.43.
Freshman diver Courtney Forcucci swept both diving events, a day after accomplishing that feat at No. 6 Texas A&M.
The Cougars’ 400-yard medley relay team of Jessica Shamburger, Doreen Polotzek, Bissett and Andrea Kells started the meet on a positive note, taking first place with a clocking of 4:02.50.
The Cougars will now take a 3 1/2 week break to sharpen thier skills and make final preparations before they host the Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships on February 27-March 1.
HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 29, 2008) University of Houston freshman Courtney Forcucci was named Conference USA Diver of the week on Tuesday.
Forcucci was the leading performer in last weekend’s meets, sweeping both events against Rice and No. 24 LSU. The Fort Mill, S.C., native won the 3-meter springboard, finishing nearly 40 points ahead of her competitor, with a season best of 332.03 points.
Her second win came during the 1-meter competition with 293.85 points, finishing more than 13 points ahead of the second-place competitor.
This was Forcucci’s second weekly honor for the 2007-08 season. She was first honored on Nov. 6, 2007.
The Cougar Swimming and Diving team will wrap up the regular season at 5 p.m., Friday, at No. 6 Texas A&M. The Cougars return home to play host to New Orleans at 11:30 a.m., Saturday at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
Fans should note that Saturday’s meet time was recently changed from earlier published schedules.
Following more than a three-week break UH will play host to the 2008 Conference USA Championship and Invitational. It begins Feb. 27 and runs through March 1 at the CRWC Natatorium. Other teams participating in the Championship are defending champion SMU, Rice, East Carolina, Marshall, Cal State Bakersfield, and Northern Colorado.
HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 26, 2008) For the second straight day, University of Houston freshman Courtney Forcucci claimed top honors in a diving event to lead the Cougar Swimming & Diving team during the final day of a tri-meet against No. 24 LSU and Conference USA rival Rice on Friday at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
Forcucci scored 293.85 points on the 1-meter springboard to finish more than 13 points ahead of her closest competitor. The Fort Mill, S.C., native was the only diver to record at least 293.00 points in both events after winning the 3-meter competition Friday evening.
Teammates Ginni van Katwijk and Lacey Truelove finished third and fourth, respectively, to lead the Cougars.
Junior Andrea Pa’lmai led the Cougar swimmers after winning the 400-yard individual medley during the final individual event of the day. The Budapest, Hungary, native finished more than four seconds ahead of her closest competitor.
The Cougars dropped both meets to their rivals, falling 240-102 to the 24th-ranked Tigers and 225-117 to Rice. LSU swept the two-day meet with a 240-102 win over Rice.
With the losses, the Cougars lost their fourth straight and fell to 8-7 overall in dual meets this season.
The Cougars return to action next weekend with their final two meets of the regular season. UH faces No. 6 Texas A&M at 5 p.m., Friday at the Student Rec Center Natatorium.
From there, the team wraps up the regular season when it plays host to New Orleans at 11:30 a.m., Saturday at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
Fans should note that Saturday’s starting time was recently changed from earlier published schedules.
HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 26, 2008) For the second straight day, University of Houston freshman Courtney Forcucci claimed top honors in a diving event to lead the Cougar Swimming & Diving team during the final day of a tri-meet against No. 24 LSU and Conference USA rival Rice on Friday at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
Forcucci scored 293.85 points on the 1-meter springboard to finish more than 13 points ahead of her closest competitor. The Fort Mill, S.C., native was the only diver to record at least 293.00 points in both events after winning the 3-meter competition Friday evening.
Teammates Ginni van Katwijk and Lacey Truelove finished third and fourth, respectively, to lead the Cougars.
Junior Andrea Pa’lmai led the Cougar swimmers after winning the 400-yard individual medley during the final individual event of the day. The Budapest, Hungary, native finished more than four seconds ahead of her closest competitor.
The Cougars dropped both meets to their rivals, falling 240-102 to the 24th-ranked Tigers and 225-117 to Rice. LSU swept the two-day meet with a 240-102 win over Rice.
With the losses, the Cougars lost their fourth straight and fell to 8-7 overall in dual meets this season.
The Cougars return to action next weekend with their final two meets of the regular season. UH faces No. 6 Texas A&M at 5 p.m., Friday at the Student Rec Center Natatorium.
From there, the team wraps up the regular season when it plays host to New Orleans at 11:30 a.m., Saturday at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
Fans should note that Saturday’s starting time was recently changed from earlier published schedules.
(Sacha Schwendenwein and Anastasia Pozdniakova will lead the Cougars at the NCAA Championships. Photo by Darla Tamulits-La Vita Loca Photography) 
