White Team Defeats Red Team At Annual Swimming and Diving Intrasquad Meet

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 2, 2008) The University of Houston swimming and diving team opened the 2008-09 season Wednesday afternoon with the annual Red & White Meet at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

The White Team, captained by senior Sasha Schwendenwein, defeated the Red Team captained by senior Andrea Pa'lmai, 168-103.

"(This meet) was a really good opportunity for the girls to test themselves against each other before going into competition," head coach Mark Taylor said. "We could see the last few minutes of each on of their races and check the last few seconds going in and out of walls. We could see how the did on their starts and turns and things that we can refine and fine tune."

The White Team started the afternoon off with a win in the 250-yard medley relay. The team of junior Jessica Shamburger, freshman Natalie Newcomb, senior Sasha Schwendenwein and freshman Kimberley Eeson combined to finish with a time of 1:42.40. The Red Team of freshman Paige Bissett, freshman Beccy Hillis, senior Doreen Polotzek and sophomore Brittany Copeland finished second with a time of 1:48.10.

After taking first in the 250-yard medley relay, Eeson followed that up with an 8:23.91 win in the 800-yard freestyle relay. She was followed in second by Olga Bordatcheva (8:38.51; Red). Freshmen Natalie Newcomb (8:51.91; White), Anne Stone (9:52.10; Red) and Borbala Juhasz (10:13.38; White) rounded out the event.

Schwendenwein finished first in the 125-yard freestyle with a time of 1:10.07 and Copeland finished second (1:14.91). Freshman Amber Pace was third for the White Team (1:16.34) and freshman Rachel Holcomb and sophomore Markee Johnson finished fourth and fifth for the Red Team with a time of 1:17.18 and 1:18.61, respectively.

Hillis won her first event with a 1:03.03 finish in the 100-yard IM. Bissett (1:04.30), Newcomb (1:05.46) and Polotzek (1:05.88) rounded out the top four, while freshman Danica Lubbers (1:05.98), freshman Rachel Johnson (1:06.88) and sophomore Amber Brodeur (1:11.08) finished fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Taking first in the 25-yard freestyle was Shamburger. She finished with a time of 11.81 defeating sophomore Andrea Kells, who finished second with a time of 12.45. Copeland finished third in her third event of the after noon with a time of 12.46. Polotek, Pace and senior Andrea Pa'lmai closed out the event with times of 12.73, 12.95 and 13.07.

The White Team took its second relay title of the afternoon. Lubbers, Kells, Newcomb and Eeson combined to finish with a time of 4:55.56. The red team of Hillis, Holcomb, Bordatcheva and Stone finished second with a time of 5:00.19. The White Team had a second relay team that finished third with a time of 5:21.81. Members of the relay included Brodeur, Pace, Juhasz and Rachel Johnson.

In the 75-yard butterfly event, the White team finished first and second. Schwendenwein captured first with a time of 42.89, while Kells took second with a time of 43.18. Polotzek finished third with a time of 45.82 and Copeland was fourth (48.78).

Eeson posted a time of 39.69 in the 75-yard freestyle, capturing her fourth win of the meet. Shamburger finished close behind with a time of 39.72. Bordatcheva, with a time of 42.32, finished third. Markee Johnson (43.53), Stone (44.42), and Juhasz (49.91) finished in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Schwendenwein captured her third win, after posting a time of 44.11 in the 75-yard backstroke. She was followed by second-place finisher Shamburger (44.12), while Bissett took third with a time of 45.85. Rachel Johnson placed fourth with a time of 48.53. Pa'lmai took fifth (51.85) and Markee Johnson took sixth (52.39). Holcomb finished in the seventh spot with a time of 55.25.

Eeson won her fifth event, clocking a time of 3:33.18 in the 350-yard freestyle. Hillis followed in second with a time of 3:36.59, while Lubbers took the third spot, posting a time of 3:52.13. Holcomb (3:57.76) was fourth position and Pace (4:10.02) finished fifth.

Hillis won her second event of the meet after posting a time of 48.92 in the 75-yard breaststroke. Bordatcheva finished second with a time of 52.90 and Kells clocked a time of 53.11, finishing third on the event. Newcomb (53.24), Juhasz (57.06) and Stone (1:02.66) placed fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

In the 300-yard IM, Bissett (3:33.64) finished first, Lubbers (3:36.09) finished second and Rachel Johnson (3:51.48) placed third.

The final event, the 300-yard freestyle relay, the White Team of Shamburger, Lubbers, Kells and Schwendenwein finished first, posting a time of 2:46.34. The Red Team of Polotzek, Holcomb, Markee Johnson and Bissett finished second with a time of 2:50.40. The Red B Team finished third (3:00.90) and the White B Team finished fourth (3:.04.30).

In the 1-meter diving event, sophomore Lacey Truelove finished first for the White Team. Sophomore Courtney Forcucci placed second, while freshman Jessalyn Almond took third.

Junior Anastasia Pozdniakova finished first in 3-meter diving for the White Team. Forcucci took second, while Truelove captured third and Almond finished fourth.

"Some people really stepped up today and raced well today against their friends. The competition was fierce against each other and you could see it was a really good competition," Taylor said. "The girls did a good job and we are excited and looking forward to this weekend."

UP NEXT
Houston will travel to Keller, Texas for the Second Annual North Texas Relays on Oct. 3. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6pm. The Cougars will also compete in a dual against Southwester on Oct. 10 before returning to Houston for a dual against North Texas on Oct. 11.