University of Houston
SMU
Swimming and Diving Falls at SMU
1/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Jan. 25, 2003
DALLAS, Texas - It was a tale of two halves of a meet for the University of Houston swimming and diving team Saturday at SMU.
While the Cougars dominated the diving events, the Mustangs were nearly as impressive in the swimming events on the way to a 143-80 win over the University of Houston.
Senior and three-time NCAA individual national champion Yulia Pakhalina and redshirt freshman Azul Almazan took first and second place, respectively, on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard to lead the Cougar scoring attack.
However, SMU went 1-2 in seven of the eight individual swimming events and took top honors in both relay events to take the win.
Pakhalina scored 378.95 points on the 3-meter board and recorded 366.65 points on the 1-meter board to become the only diver to top the 300.00-point mark in both events. A week ago, Pakhalina accomplished that same feat in a dual meet loss to LSU and captured Conference USA Diver of the Week honors for the fourth time this season and the ninth time in her distinguished career.
Almazan swept second place in both diving events, scoring 317.45 points on the 3-meter board and 279.20 points in the 1-meter competition.
The Cougar swimmers enjoyed their most success of the day in the 500-yard freestyle. Kristin Bay earned UH's only second-place swimming finish with a time of 5:39.03 in that event. Falon Hopkins placed third in the event with a time of 5:54.35.
The Cougars close out the month of January on Friday when they travel to face crosstown rival at the Rice Pool. Earlier this year, the Owls took a 162-122 win over the Cougars at the UH Natatorium.
