Former Cougar Divers Place at World Championships
8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Aug. 3, 2009
HOUSTON - University of Houston diver Anastasia Pozdniakova and former Cougar Yulia Pakhalina finished third in the 3-meter synchronized diving event at the 13th International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championships in Rome.
The duo finished with 310.80 points, to trail second place finishers Tania Cognotto and Francesca Dallape of Italy. Cognotto can also count herself among former Cougar divers at the Championships. Winning the event was Guo Jungjing and Wu Minxia of China.
In addition to their bronze medal, Pakhalina won the 1-meter event and Pozdniakova finished seventh in the 3-meter event.
Pozdniakova was named the Conference USA Diver of the Meet after winning all three diving events at the C-USA Championship in 2009, becoming only the third C-USA diver to accomplish that feat. In addition, she won the 1-meter event at the NCAA Championship and was the runner-up in the 3-meter competition.
As a Cougar, Pakhalina was a five-time NCAA individual national champion in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard. She also recorded 36 consecutive wins in collegiate competition and was an 11-time C-USA Diver of the Week.
While Cagnotto only competed at Houston for one season, she set a then UH and C-USA record by being named C-USA Diver of the Week nine times and swept all three diving events at the 2006 C-USA Championship. She was just the second diver in C-USA history to win all three diving events at one championship meet, joining Pakhalina who accomplished the feat in 2002.
Players Mentioned
