University of Houston
at NCAA Zone Diving Meet
Pozdniakova Claims 1-Meter Title at NCAA Zone D Meet
3/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
March 3, 2007
AUSTIN, Texas - University of Houston sophomore Anastasia Pozdniakova scored 614.25 points in the finals to win the 1-meter springboard championship on Saturday during the second day of the NCAA Zone D meet at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
It was the second championship in as many days Pozdniakova, who earned 740.30 points to win the 3-meter title on Friday.
Pozdniakova was the only diver to crack 300 points in the preliminaries with her total of 311.15 and finished more than 25 points ahead of second-place finisher Mary Yarrison of Texas.
Teammate and junior Ginni van Katwijk scored 513.70 points in the finals to finish sixth on the 1-meter springboard. The Grootebroek, Netherlands earned 262.90 points in the preliminaries earlier in the day.
Pozdniakova's two first-place finishes and van Katwijk's third-place showing in the 3-meter event Friday qualified the Cougar duo for the 2007 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Minn., on March 8-10. It will be the first NCAA Championship appearance for either diver.
The three-day meet concludes at 10 a.m., Sunday, with the platform competition. Admission to the meet is free, and the public is invited to attend.
Senior captain Rachel Gitelson and van Katwijk are scheduled to compete for the Cougars on the platform.
All four divers entered the NCAA Zone D meet after award-winning performances throughout the 2006-07 season. Pozdniakova won both the 1- and 3-meter springboard events during the recent C-USA Championship at UH's own Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium on Feb. 14-17.
A four-time C-USA Diver of the Week recipient in 2006-07, the Elektrostal, Russia, native was recognized for her impressive performances as the C-USA Diver of the Meet.
Gitelson helped lead the Cougar divers to the sweep at the C-USA meet by winning the platform competition. The Glendale, Ariz., native is the only Cougar with previous experience at the NCAA Championships. After winning the platform title at the 2005 NCAA Zone D meet, Gitelson competed on the platform at the NCAA Championships, where she finished 12th.
van Katwijk is the newest member of the Cougar diving corps after transferring from Wyoming. However, the Grootebroek, Netherlands, native made an immediate impact during her first season and joined Pozdniakova as the only divers to finish among the Top Three individual leaders in all three diving events at the C-USA Championship.
The Cougar divers are under the leadership of Jane Figueiredo, who recently was named the C-USA Diving Coach of the Year for the sixth consecutive season. Now in her 17th season as the diving head coach, Figueiredo has led 23 divers to the NCAA Championships during her award-winning career.
Players Mentioned
