University of Houston
vs. Queens (N.Y.)
Swimming Sweeps at CSCAA Relay Double Dual Meet
1/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Jan. 5, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. - The University of Houston swimming team started the year 2006 on an impressive note Thursday by sweeping Queens College and Lehigh during the CSCAA Relay Double Dual meet at the YMCA Indoor Aquatic Center.
The Cougars, who won their third straight dual meet, took a 64-46 win over Queens College and added a 64-27 win over Lehigh to improve to 6-5 overall this year.
Competing on a 50-meter long course for the first time all season, the Cougars dominated the meet, winning all six events. Senior captain Randee Billips, Szintia Szanto, Lauren VanCleave, Andrea Pa'lmai, Thea Murray, Nicole Vaiana and Jenny Hagen each were members of two winning relay teams.
In the only individual event of the day, freshman Sasha Schwendenwein won the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 28.67. The South Africa native also joined Pa'lmai, Szanto and VanCleave on the winning 200-meter medley relay team with a time of 2:08.12.
VanCleave, Szanto and Billips won the 150-meter butterfly relay with a time of 1:33.66. Pa'lmai, Murray and Vaiana took top honors in the 150-meter backstroke relay with a time of 1:42.11, while Billips, Hagen and senior captain Tatjana Banjeglav claimed first place with a clocking of 1:54.53 in the 150-meter breaststroke relay.
Hagen, Vaiana, Murray and junior Alejandra Salazar wrapped up the Cougars' day with first place in the 200-meter freestyle relay with a time of 1:59.00.
The swimmers return to action at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, when they face Lehigh in another dual meet.
Meanwhile, the Cougar divers begin the new year when they compete at the Georgia Diving Invitational and Shootout at the Gabrielsen Natatorium. That meet will be held Friday and Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. with 1- and 3-meter preliminaries followed by the finals around 12:15 p.m. In addition, the meet features a shootout at 6 p.m., each night for the top six performers from the finals.
On Sunday, the divers will compete on the platform beginning at 10 a.m.
The Cougars join a competitive field at the Georgia Diving Invitational and Shootout, which features Virginia Tech, Purdue, Alabama, SMU, Drexel, East Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Auburn and LSU.
More than 40 female divers will compete in a format similar to the NCAA Zone and NCAA Championships.
Players Mentioned
