IRVING, TEXAS (October 15, 2008) After two weeks of competition, Conference USA women's swimming has had a strong start this season. East Carolina and Houston both ended the week with perfect records. Marshall defeated Xavier (Ohio) 162-114 and Rice outscored North Texas at Texas A&M 184-109. In their only competition to date, SMU took first place honors on Oct. 3 at the Mean Green Relays in Keller, Texas.
Houston's Sasha Schwendenwein is Conference USA's first Swimmer of the Week for the 2008-09 season after winning each of her eight events over the weekend against Southwestern and North Texas and helping the Cougars to a 2-0 record. All-American and Olympian teammate Anastasia Pozdniakova is the Diver of the Week. Pozdniakova returned from the 2008 Olympics and automatically qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving meet after scoring 307.43 points in the 1-meter competition against North Texas.
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK (10/14)
SASHA SCHWENDENWEIN - HOUSTON
Sr., Randburg, South Africa (Crawford College)
Schwendenwein helped lead the Cougars to a 2-0 record after winning all eight of her events over the weekend against Southwestern and North Texas. The senior swimmer was a member of the winning 400-yard medley relay team that finished with a time of 4:13.03 against Southwestern. In the same meet, she took the top spot in the 50-yard freestyle clocking a time of 25.45, finished first in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:11.45 and ended the meet with a win in the 200-yard IM in 2:10.90. Against North Texas, Schwendenwein won the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:05.43 and the 100-yard freestyle in 51.92. In her final two races of the day, she won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:04.30 while her time of 3:33.14 gave her the top spot in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The weekly award is the third of Schwendenwein's career.
DIVER OF THE WEEK (10/14)
ANASTASIA POZDNIAKOVA - HOUSTON
Jr., Elektrostal, Russia (Secondary General Education School No. 16)
Pozdniakova helped the Cougars to a win over North Texas in the first home meet of the 2008-09 season. She won both the 1-meter competition scoring 307.43 points and the 3-meter competition after scoring 281.70 points in the event. Both scores qualified her for the NCAA Zone Diving meet. In the 1-meter competition, Pozdniakova was the only diver to surpass 300 points and helped the Cougars to a sweep in the top three places in each event. Pozdniakova was named the Conference USA Diver of the Meet after winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter championship during the 2007 C-USA Swimming and Diving Championships. She was a red-shirt last season and did not compete for the Cougars as she trained for the Olympics where she earned silver medalist honors. This is the junior's fifth career weekly honor.
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
AMANDA DUNCAN - East Carolina
Duncan helped lead the Pirates to head-to-head victories over Marshall, West Virginia and Xavier (Ohio). The senior swimmer posted first-place finishes in the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly.
Siobhan Schuurman - Marshall
Schuurman helped Marshall to a win over Xavier with first-place finishes in both the 1-meter and 3-meter. Schuurman is the school record-holder in both the 1-meter and platform dives.
Angela Wo - Rice
Wo was one of Rice's top performers in the owl's season-opening double-dual meet against nationally-ranked Texas A&M and the University of North Texas. In addition to a second-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly, Wo also posted a career-best time of 2:06.47 to take fourth in the 200-fly.
Christy-Leigh Lategan - SMU
Lategan was a member of four relay teams that placed first. She helped her team in the with the 800-yard freestyle relay by swimming the fastest time of 1:52.05. The freshman swimmer also swam in the 500- yard freestyle relay winning with a time of 4:29.79, almost six seconds faster than the second place finishers. SMU won the North Texas Relays by placing first in eight of ten events.
Showing posts with label Conference USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conference USA. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Houston Moves to 4th Place at C-USA Championships
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Cougars 4th in 800-yard Freestyle Relay
By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 27, 2008) The University of Houston 800-yard freestyle relay finished in fourth place with the time of 7:37.63 on the opening night of the 2008 Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships at UH's Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium.
The team juniors Sasha Schwendenwein and Andrea Pa’lmai and freshmen Paige Bissett and Andrea Kells held off East Carolina University for most of the race, however the Pirates overtook the Cougars during the final 50 yards to take the bronze medal.
SMU finished in first with the time of 7:04.87, which was an NCAA "A" qualifying time. Rice took the silver medal (7:21.75) whcih was an NCAA "B" cut, with East Carolina in third (7:34.43) followed by Marshall (7:42.73-5th), Northern Colorado (7:49.45-6th) and Cal State Bakersfield (7:58.64-7th).
The Cougars were contending for third place in the 200-yard medley relay, however an early take-off cost them the race, with Rice taking the gold medal (1:43.29).
Rice held the overall lead among C-USA schools after the first day with 74 points, while East Carolina was second with 66 points. Marshall (60) and defending champion SMU (40) rounded out the rest of the field .
On the men’s side, defending champion SMU was first after the first day with 108 points, while East Carolina and Hawai’i were tied with 104 points apiece. Cal State Bakersfield stood in fourth place with 44 points.
The meet kicks into high gear at 10 a.m., Thursday with the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and the 50-yard freestyle. The women’s 1-meter diving preliminaries are slated to begin around 1 p.m. with the finals of all the day’s events starting at 6 p.m.
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 27, 2008) The University of Houston 800-yard freestyle relay finished in fourth place with the time of 7:37.63 on the opening night of the 2008 Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships at UH's Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium.
The team juniors Sasha Schwendenwein and Andrea Pa’lmai and freshmen Paige Bissett and Andrea Kells held off East Carolina University for most of the race, however the Pirates overtook the Cougars during the final 50 yards to take the bronze medal.
SMU finished in first with the time of 7:04.87, which was an NCAA "A" qualifying time. Rice took the silver medal (7:21.75) whcih was an NCAA "B" cut, with East Carolina in third (7:34.43) followed by Marshall (7:42.73-5th), Northern Colorado (7:49.45-6th) and Cal State Bakersfield (7:58.64-7th).
The Cougars were contending for third place in the 200-yard medley relay, however an early take-off cost them the race, with Rice taking the gold medal (1:43.29).
Rice held the overall lead among C-USA schools after the first day with 74 points, while East Carolina was second with 66 points. Marshall (60) and defending champion SMU (40) rounded out the rest of the field .
On the men’s side, defending champion SMU was first after the first day with 108 points, while East Carolina and Hawai’i were tied with 104 points apiece. Cal State Bakersfield stood in fourth place with 44 points.
The meet kicks into high gear at 10 a.m., Thursday with the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and the 50-yard freestyle. The women’s 1-meter diving preliminaries are slated to begin around 1 p.m. with the finals of all the day’s events starting at 6 p.m.
Houston Swimmers in 5th After Day 1 of Conference USA Championships
By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 27, 2008) - The 2008 Conference USA Women's Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational got off the an exciting start on Wednesday evening at the CRWC Natatorium on the campus of the University of Houston with a record performance by the SMU 800-yard freestyle relay team.
The squad of Jennifer Blackman, Petra Klosova, Candace Blackman and Sascha Van den Branden finished with the time of 7:04.87, shattering the pool and meet record they set last year of 7:10.49. The mark was good for an NCAA `A' qualifying time.
Rice came in second (7:21.75) with an NCAA `B' time, while East Carolina finished in third (7:34.43). The host Cougars finished in fourth (7:37.63) and Marshall took fifth (7:42.73).
In the first event of the meet, the 200-yard medley relay, the Rice team of Angela Wo, Pam Zelnick, Skylar Craig and Diane Gu finished in 1:43.29 to take the win and grab 40 early points. Defending champion SMU finished in a record time of 1:39.32, making the NCAA “A”cut. but was disqualified fot an early takeoff. League members East Carolina (1:45.01) and Marshall (1:47.64) officially came in second and third, respectively.
Rice leads the C-USA Championship team scoring after day one with 74 points, followed by East Carolina with 66 and Marshall with 60. SMU sits in fourth with 40 points on the strength of their record-setting relay, while Houston is fifth with 30 points.
On the men's side, teams from league schools East Carolina and SMU along with Hawaii and Cal State Bakersfield are also competing in the C-USA men's invitational. SMU leads that event after day one with 108 points, followed by East Carolina and Hawai'i with 104 and Cal State Bakersfield with 44.
The meet resumes at 10 a.m., Thursday with the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and the 50-yard freestyle. The women's 3-meter diving preliminaries will begin around 1 p.m. The finals for those events are slated to begin around 6 p.m.
All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.
Click here for complete meet results, team scores, and live stats. Championship information came be accessed by clicking here.
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 27, 2008) - The 2008 Conference USA Women's Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational got off the an exciting start on Wednesday evening at the CRWC Natatorium on the campus of the University of Houston with a record performance by the SMU 800-yard freestyle relay team.
The squad of Jennifer Blackman, Petra Klosova, Candace Blackman and Sascha Van den Branden finished with the time of 7:04.87, shattering the pool and meet record they set last year of 7:10.49. The mark was good for an NCAA `A' qualifying time.
Rice came in second (7:21.75) with an NCAA `B' time, while East Carolina finished in third (7:34.43). The host Cougars finished in fourth (7:37.63) and Marshall took fifth (7:42.73).
In the first event of the meet, the 200-yard medley relay, the Rice team of Angela Wo, Pam Zelnick, Skylar Craig and Diane Gu finished in 1:43.29 to take the win and grab 40 early points. Defending champion SMU finished in a record time of 1:39.32, making the NCAA “A”cut. but was disqualified fot an early takeoff. League members East Carolina (1:45.01) and Marshall (1:47.64) officially came in second and third, respectively.
Rice leads the C-USA Championship team scoring after day one with 74 points, followed by East Carolina with 66 and Marshall with 60. SMU sits in fourth with 40 points on the strength of their record-setting relay, while Houston is fifth with 30 points.
On the men's side, teams from league schools East Carolina and SMU along with Hawaii and Cal State Bakersfield are also competing in the C-USA men's invitational. SMU leads that event after day one with 108 points, followed by East Carolina and Hawai'i with 104 and Cal State Bakersfield with 44.
The meet resumes at 10 a.m., Thursday with the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and the 50-yard freestyle. The women's 3-meter diving preliminaries will begin around 1 p.m. The finals for those events are slated to begin around 6 p.m.
All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.
Click here for complete meet results, team scores, and live stats. Championship information came be accessed by clicking here.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Conference USA Swimming and Diving All-Academic Team Announced
IRVING, TEXAS (February 26, 2008) Six swimming and diving student-athletes were named to the 2007-08 Conference USA All-Academic Team, as announced by the league office today. SMU had two members on the team for the second consecutive year, while East Carolina, Houston, Marshall and Rice all placed one representative on the squad. The all-academic team consists of six student-athletes that have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and have competed in 75 percent of their team’s scheduled meets.
Three seniors and three juniors make up this season’s All-Academic team. All six members are integral parts of their team’s performances thus far and will be counted on this week at the 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational being held at Houston’s CRWC Natatorium.
SMU teammates Jenny Basel and Angela San Juan Cisneros were named to the all-academic team after leading No. 14 SMU to a 5-3 dual meet record and a perfect 2-0 record against league foes. Basel is one of three repeat selections to the team in 2007-08. The junior mathematics major holds the highest GPA of all six team members at 3.95. She was a member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and was also a recipient of the Commissioner’s Academic Medal those same years. Basel, a breaststroke and individual medley participant, has multiple 400 IM wins on the season as well top three finishes in the 200 breast.
San Juan Cisneros holds a 3.84 GPA in applied economics and was named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2006-07. In the pool, the senior has earned NCAA consideration in the 100 free and 100 fly and is a member of the SMU 200- and 400-yard medley teams that have set multiple pool records.
East Carolina placed senior Kim Brewer on this year’s list. Brewer is also a repeat selection and carries a 3.56 GPA in finance. The North Carolina native is a three-time member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and ranks among the Pirate’s Top 10 in three freestyle events. Brewer set season best times in the 500, 1,000, and 1,650 freestyle at this season’s Nike Cup.
Houston’s Ginni van Katwijk is the lone diver on the squad. The senior is a sociology major with a 3.61 GPA. She was a 2007 NCAA Platform Diving All-America honoree and was the 2007 C-USA Co-Newcomer of the Year. So far this season, van Katwijk has tallied UH season highs on the 1-meter board and in the platform diving competition. During the Cougars’ meet with at North Texas, she Grootebeck, Netherlands native won both springboard events to help UH sweep the Top Three places in each event.
Kayla Truswell of Marshall makes her first appearance on the C-USA All-Academic Team. The native of Canada has a 3.84 GPA in psychology and is a five-time Marshall Dean’s List Honoree and a two-time C-USA Academic Medalist and Academic Honor Roll member. She leads Marshall in both the 100 and 200 butterfly, while ranking 10th in the 100 and fifth in the 200 on the C-USA season best lists.
Repeat selection Diane Gu of Rice rounds out the team. Gu, a psychology major with a 3.67 GPA, is a three-time Commissioner’s Honor Roll member and won the 2007 Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award. The native of Florida is also a Rice University Scholar Athlete. Gu is having another successful season in the pool and is often the anchor leg of the Owls’ sprint relays.
The 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational begins Wednesday, February 27 and continues until Saturday, March 1. The four-day event is hosted by the University of Houston and all five C-USA swimming and diving programs will participate in the event. SMU will be looking to bring home its third consecutive C-USA and title and 12th consecutive title overall.
Three seniors and three juniors make up this season’s All-Academic team. All six members are integral parts of their team’s performances thus far and will be counted on this week at the 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational being held at Houston’s CRWC Natatorium.
SMU teammates Jenny Basel and Angela San Juan Cisneros were named to the all-academic team after leading No. 14 SMU to a 5-3 dual meet record and a perfect 2-0 record against league foes. Basel is one of three repeat selections to the team in 2007-08. The junior mathematics major holds the highest GPA of all six team members at 3.95. She was a member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and was also a recipient of the Commissioner’s Academic Medal those same years. Basel, a breaststroke and individual medley participant, has multiple 400 IM wins on the season as well top three finishes in the 200 breast.
San Juan Cisneros holds a 3.84 GPA in applied economics and was named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2006-07. In the pool, the senior has earned NCAA consideration in the 100 free and 100 fly and is a member of the SMU 200- and 400-yard medley teams that have set multiple pool records.
East Carolina placed senior Kim Brewer on this year’s list. Brewer is also a repeat selection and carries a 3.56 GPA in finance. The North Carolina native is a three-time member of the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and ranks among the Pirate’s Top 10 in three freestyle events. Brewer set season best times in the 500, 1,000, and 1,650 freestyle at this season’s Nike Cup.
Houston’s Ginni van Katwijk is the lone diver on the squad. The senior is a sociology major with a 3.61 GPA. She was a 2007 NCAA Platform Diving All-America honoree and was the 2007 C-USA Co-Newcomer of the Year. So far this season, van Katwijk has tallied UH season highs on the 1-meter board and in the platform diving competition. During the Cougars’ meet with at North Texas, she Grootebeck, Netherlands native won both springboard events to help UH sweep the Top Three places in each event.
Kayla Truswell of Marshall makes her first appearance on the C-USA All-Academic Team. The native of Canada has a 3.84 GPA in psychology and is a five-time Marshall Dean’s List Honoree and a two-time C-USA Academic Medalist and Academic Honor Roll member. She leads Marshall in both the 100 and 200 butterfly, while ranking 10th in the 100 and fifth in the 200 on the C-USA season best lists.
Repeat selection Diane Gu of Rice rounds out the team. Gu, a psychology major with a 3.67 GPA, is a three-time Commissioner’s Honor Roll member and won the 2007 Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award. The native of Florida is also a Rice University Scholar Athlete. Gu is having another successful season in the pool and is often the anchor leg of the Owls’ sprint relays.
The 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational begins Wednesday, February 27 and continues until Saturday, March 1. The four-day event is hosted by the University of Houston and all five C-USA swimming and diving programs will participate in the event. SMU will be looking to bring home its third consecutive C-USA and title and 12th consecutive title overall.
Houston Swimming and Diving Plays Host to 2008 C-USA Women¹s Championship
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 26, 2008) For the fifth straight season, some of the nation's top collegiate swimmers and divers will visit Houston during the 2008 Conference USA Women¹s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational.
The meet begins at 3 p.m., Feb. 27 at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium with the preliminaries of the men's 1-meter diving. Finals begin at 6 p.m. and will include the men's 1-meter diving as well as the men¹s and women's 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.
The final three days of the four-day meet features swimming preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m., each day. Diving preliminaries are slated to start at 1 p.m., with the finals for all events beginning at 6 p.m., each day.
In addition to the Cougars, the women¹s side of the meet features C-USA rivals East Carolina, Marshall, Rice and SMU as well as Cal State Bakersfield, Northern Colorado. The men¹s side of the Invitational features East Carolina, SMU, Hawai¹i and Cal State Bakersfield.
This marks the fifth straight season that Houston has hosted the league's postseason extravaganza. The Cougars are the only school to host the Championship at an on-campus site.
All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.
All students from Conference USA schools are admitted free with a valid student ID. Fans should note that cash only will be accepted at the Tickets table.
There will be no charge for all fans for Wednesday night's opening session. Fans attending sessions beginning Thursday morning will be charged accordingly.
Gates will open, and tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to the meet. In addition, a wide variety of Championship merchandise will be available near the Tickets table.
The Cougars, competing under sixth-year head coach Mark Taylor, finished fourth a year ago and look to improve their standing during the 2008 meet. UH finished the regular season with a 9-8 record in dual meets, marking the program's third straight winning season.
It was the first time since 1983-86 that UH accomplished that feat. This season, the UH swimmers are led by juniors Sasha Schwendenwein and Andrea Pa'lmai.
Schwendenwein has posted the Cougars¹ season-best times in the 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events as well as the 200-yard butterfly. The Randburg, South Africa, native already has provisionally qualified for the 2008 NCAA Championships with her time of 1:49.88 in the 200-yard freestyle during the Miami (Ohio) Invitational on Nov. 30, 2007.
Pa'lmai also has emerged as one of the Cougars¹ most consistent performers. The Budapest, Hungary, native leads all Cougar swimmers in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke as well as the 200-yard backstroke.
As impressive as the Cougar swimmers have been this season and at past C-USA Championships, the UH divers have established themselves as some of the nation's best.
Under the leadership of 18-year head coach Jane Figueiredo, senior captain Ginni van Katwijk and freshmen Courtney Forcucci and Lacey Truelove are expected to do well at the 2008 meet.
The Cougars have dominated diving at the C-USA Championship, winning six straight championships on the 1- and 3-meter springboards and the platform.
Cougar divers also have been honored as the C-USA Diver of the Year and Diver of the meet during each of the last six seasons, while Figueiredo has been honored for six straight years as the Diving Coach of the Year.
SMU comes into the meet as the two-time defending champions, while Rice and East Carolina each finished second in the standings during the last two years.
On the men¹s side, SMU returns as the two-time defending champions with East Carolina and Hawai¹i finished second in each of the last two years.
The meet begins at 3 p.m., Feb. 27 at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium with the preliminaries of the men's 1-meter diving. Finals begin at 6 p.m. and will include the men's 1-meter diving as well as the men¹s and women's 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.
The final three days of the four-day meet features swimming preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m., each day. Diving preliminaries are slated to start at 1 p.m., with the finals for all events beginning at 6 p.m., each day.
In addition to the Cougars, the women¹s side of the meet features C-USA rivals East Carolina, Marshall, Rice and SMU as well as Cal State Bakersfield, Northern Colorado. The men¹s side of the Invitational features East Carolina, SMU, Hawai¹i and Cal State Bakersfield.
This marks the fifth straight season that Houston has hosted the league's postseason extravaganza. The Cougars are the only school to host the Championship at an on-campus site.
All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.
All students from Conference USA schools are admitted free with a valid student ID. Fans should note that cash only will be accepted at the Tickets table.
There will be no charge for all fans for Wednesday night's opening session. Fans attending sessions beginning Thursday morning will be charged accordingly.
Gates will open, and tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to the meet. In addition, a wide variety of Championship merchandise will be available near the Tickets table.
The Cougars, competing under sixth-year head coach Mark Taylor, finished fourth a year ago and look to improve their standing during the 2008 meet. UH finished the regular season with a 9-8 record in dual meets, marking the program's third straight winning season.
It was the first time since 1983-86 that UH accomplished that feat. This season, the UH swimmers are led by juniors Sasha Schwendenwein and Andrea Pa'lmai.
Schwendenwein has posted the Cougars¹ season-best times in the 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events as well as the 200-yard butterfly. The Randburg, South Africa, native already has provisionally qualified for the 2008 NCAA Championships with her time of 1:49.88 in the 200-yard freestyle during the Miami (Ohio) Invitational on Nov. 30, 2007.
Pa'lmai also has emerged as one of the Cougars¹ most consistent performers. The Budapest, Hungary, native leads all Cougar swimmers in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke as well as the 200-yard backstroke.
As impressive as the Cougar swimmers have been this season and at past C-USA Championships, the UH divers have established themselves as some of the nation's best.
Under the leadership of 18-year head coach Jane Figueiredo, senior captain Ginni van Katwijk and freshmen Courtney Forcucci and Lacey Truelove are expected to do well at the 2008 meet.
The Cougars have dominated diving at the C-USA Championship, winning six straight championships on the 1- and 3-meter springboards and the platform.
Cougar divers also have been honored as the C-USA Diver of the Year and Diver of the meet during each of the last six seasons, while Figueiredo has been honored for six straight years as the Diving Coach of the Year.
SMU comes into the meet as the two-time defending champions, while Rice and East Carolina each finished second in the standings during the last two years.
On the men¹s side, SMU returns as the two-time defending champions with East Carolina and Hawai¹i finished second in each of the last two years.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Ticket Prices Announced for 2008 C-USA Women’s Swimming Championship
HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 11, 2008) With a little more than two weeks before the start, ticket prices for the 2008 Conference USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Invitational were announced Monday afternoon.
All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.
All students from Conference USA schools are admitted free with a valid student ID.
Fans should note that cash only will be accepted at the Tickets table.
There will be no charge for all fans for Wednesday night’s opening session. Fans attending sessions beginning Thursday morning will be charged accordingly.
Gate will open, and tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to the meet. In addition, a wide variety of Championship merchandise will be available near the Tickets table.
The meet begins at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27 with the preliminaries of the men’s 1-meter diving. Finals begin at 6 p.m. and will include the men’s 1-meter diving as well as the men’s and women’s 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.
The final three days of the four-day meet features swimming preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m., each day. Diving preliminaries are slated to start at 1 p.m., with the finals for all events beginning at 6 p.m., each day.
All-session tickets are available for only $25 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-day tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Youth includes children from 3 years old to high school. Children who are 2 years old and younger are admitted free.
All students from Conference USA schools are admitted free with a valid student ID.
Fans should note that cash only will be accepted at the Tickets table.
There will be no charge for all fans for Wednesday night’s opening session. Fans attending sessions beginning Thursday morning will be charged accordingly.
Gate will open, and tickets will be sold beginning one hour prior to the meet. In addition, a wide variety of Championship merchandise will be available near the Tickets table.
The meet begins at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27 with the preliminaries of the men’s 1-meter diving. Finals begin at 6 p.m. and will include the men’s 1-meter diving as well as the men’s and women’s 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.
The final three days of the four-day meet features swimming preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m., each day. Diving preliminaries are slated to start at 1 p.m., with the finals for all events beginning at 6 p.m., each day.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Courtney Forcucci Named C-USA Diver of the Week
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.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Houston Diver van Katwijk Honored
IRVING, TEXAS (January 23, 2008) Houston’s Ginni van Katwijk is the Conference USA Diver of the Week. van Katwijk was the Cougars’ leading diver during a road swing through north Texas as she swept both events at North Texas and earned second- and fourth-place finishes at No. 12 SMU.
van Katwijk was the Cougars’ leading diver during a road swing through north Texas last weekend. The senior swept both events at North Texas and earned second- and fourth-place finishes at No. 12 SMU. van Katwijk won the 1-meter event with 262.73 points against UNT and finished first on the 3-meter board with 273.08 points. Her efforts helped lead the Cougars to a sweep of the Top Three places in both events.
At SMU she finished second on the 1-meter board with 269.69 points, less than one point from event winner and teammate Courtney Forcucci. van Katwik placed fourth on the 3-meter board with 267.07 points. This is van Katwijk’s second career C-USA weekly honor, her first in 2008.
van Katwijk was the Cougars’ leading diver during a road swing through north Texas last weekend. The senior swept both events at North Texas and earned second- and fourth-place finishes at No. 12 SMU. van Katwijk won the 1-meter event with 262.73 points against UNT and finished first on the 3-meter board with 273.08 points. Her efforts helped lead the Cougars to a sweep of the Top Three places in both events.
At SMU she finished second on the 1-meter board with 269.69 points, less than one point from event winner and teammate Courtney Forcucci. van Katwik placed fourth on the 3-meter board with 267.07 points. This is van Katwijk’s second career C-USA weekly honor, her first in 2008.
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