UH Swimming and Diving Takes Second at C-USA Championships

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 28, 2009) The University of Houston swimming and diving team finished second at the 2009 Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships which concluded Saturday evening at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center (CRWC) Natatorium.

The Cougars earned the silver medal with 623 points followed by Rice's 595 points. SMU grabbed first place with 857.5 points. Houston's second place finish was their highest finish ever at the C-USA Championships. Their previous best was a third place finish at the 2006 Championships.

Houston swept the meet's specialty awards. Head coach Mark Taylor earned his first C-USA Championship Swimming Coach of the Meet award, snapping SMU's Steve Collins' two-year stint, while head diving coach Jane Figueiredo earned her eighth consecutive Diving Coach of the Year award.

In the only women's diving event of the evening, Anastasia Pozdniakova earned the top spot in platform diving with a final score of 277.55. With her win on Saturday, Pozdniakova became the first diver to win all three events since former Cougar Tania Cagnotto in 2006.Pozdniakova was named the 2009 Championship Diver of the Meet, her second C-USA Diver of the Meet award.

Courtney Forcucci finished in third place with 234.75 points and Jessalyn Almond placed fourth with 170.60 points.

Sasha Schwendenwein set a C-USA Championship meet record on Saturday morning in the women's 200-yard butterfly event in a preliminary heat with a time of 1:58.87. She later surpassed her own record with a 1:56.48 to capture the gold Saturday evening with an NCAA `B' time. Schwendenwein completed the Cougar award sweep with Championship Swimmer of the Meet honors.

Andrea Kells (2:02.43) placed seventh and Lubbers (2:11.13) finished 16th to join Schwendenwein in the 200-yard butterfly final.

Andrea Pa'lmai and Kim Eason put up top performances in the first event of the night, earning the gold and silver medals in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Pa'lmai's time of 16:38.87 gave her a spot in the UH record books. Pa'lmai shattered the previous school record of 16:51.88 which was set in 1978 by Cyndi McCullam.

Natalie Newcomb finished in the 15th place with a time of 17:35.15, while Danica Lubbers (18:33.21) followed in 17th place and Rachel Holcomb (18:42.20) finished 23rd.

Jess Shamburger (2:01.82) earned fourth place in the women's 200-yard backstroke and Pa'lmai's time of 2:05.06 was good enough for seventh in the event. Paige Bissett finished first in the consolation final with a time of 2:02.63.

Beccy Hillis (2:14.78) brought in a fourth place finish for the Cougars in the 200-yard breaststroke. Natalie Newcomb placed 15th in the event, receiving a time of 2:25.01.

Hillis also finished in fifth place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.44.

To wrap up the meet, the Cougars (Sasha Schwendenwein, Andrea Pa'lmai, Paige Bissett, Kimberley Eeson) finished the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:26.12 to finish in fifth place.