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University of Houston Athletics
Swimming & Diving Opens Season on Friday
10/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 12, 2006
HOUSTON - The University of Houston swimming and diving team opens its 2006-07 season at 5 p.m., Friday, when it meets Northern Colorado and host New Mexico State at the NMSU Swimming and Diving Complex.
The meet schedule recently underwent a change. Instead of one 2-day tri-meet, the teams will square off in a 13-event tri-meet on Friday and another 16-event tri-meet at 11 a.m., Saturday.
The Cougars, under the leadership of head coach Mark Taylor and diving head coach Jane Figueiredo, come into the meet after battling to a 64-64 tie against one another during the annual Red and White Meet on Oct. 4 at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.
At that intrasquad scrimmage, sophomore Sasha Schwendenwein led all competitors by winning four individual events. Fellow sophomore Andrea Pa'lmai, senior Rachel Gitelson and freshman Jessica Shamburger also won two events for their respective teams.
UH returns 10 letterwinners from a year ago, including senior diver Anna Kiess, who qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season. The Cougars earned 34 points at the 2006 NCAA Championships to finish in a tie for 23rd place, the sixth straight season that UH ranked among the Top-25 team leaders at the nation's top collegiate meet.
Senior swimming captain Szintia Szanto, Pa'lmai, Schwendenwein and sophomore Lauren VanCleave all provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships a year ago and will be looking to earn "A" cuts this season.
The Cougars open their 2006-07 home season at 10 a.m., Oct. 28, in a tri-meet against Conference USA rival SMU and Oregon State at the CRWC Natatorium. Fans should note that the time for that meet was recently moved up to accommodate the Cougar Football team's televised game against UCF.
Players Mentioned
