UH Swimming and Diving Names Team Captains
9/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Sept. 30, 2002
HOUSTON - With the 2002 fall season quickly approaching, three University of Houston swimmers and divers were named team captains Monday, UH head swimming coach Mark Taylor announced.
Seniors Yulia Pakhalina, Falon Hopkins and Jessica Blake were honored as team captains in preparation for the upcoming season. The three student athletes were selected in voting by the Cougar team and coaching staff.
"All three young women exemplify what it means to be a Cougar," said Taylor, who enters his first season at the helm of the program. "They are honest and hard-working with integrity, devotion and perseverance."
Pakhalina has already established herself as one of the NCAA's and the world's premier divers. A three-time NCAA national champion, the Penza, Russia, native reeled off 36 straight wins in diving events to open her collegiate career before falling last season in the 1-meter finals at the NCAA Championships.
However, she quickly rebounded the next night to successfully defend her NCAA national title on the 3-meter board and, in the process, set new NCAA and NCAA meet records.
Hopkins was one of the more versatile swimmers for the Cougars last season. The Houston native set new UH season bests in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events and equaled that feat in both the 50- and 100-yard butterfly competitions.
Blake has been a Cougar mainstay in the backstroke for the last three seasons. A year ago, the London, Ontario, Canada, native was the team's leading swimmer in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. She earned the team's fastest mark in the 100-yard event with a time of 1:00.07 at Fayetteville, Ark., last season and posted the team's two fastest times in the 200-yard event.
All three will lead the Cougars into their season-opening competition at the Bayou City Relay Invitational, hosted by Rice, on Oct. 11.