University of Houston Athletics
Diving Earns NCAA Postseason Awards
3/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
March 22, 2010
HOUSTON - Despite the end of the 2009-10 swimming and diving season, the University of Houston diving team continues to reap the benefits of another successful season.
Following her performance at the NCAA Championships on March 19-21, senior diver Anastasia Pozdniakova was named the NCAA Diver of the Year. En route to winning the award, Pozdniakova won her second consecutive 1-meter diving title, in a pool and NCAA record finish of 356.20 points. In addition, Pozdniakova was the runner-up in the 3-meter event and 17th in the platform competition.
Pozdniakova becomes the second Cougar to earn NCAA Diver of the Year honors. Yulia Pakhalina also took home the award in 2001 and 2003.
Junior Lacey Truelove also competed at the NCAA Championships. Her highest finish came in the platform competition where she was seventh and she came in 13th in the 3-meter event.
After guiding at both Pozdniakova and Truelove to the NCAA Championships, diving head coach Jane Figueiredo was named the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and the fourth time in her career.
Under Figueiredo's guidance, at least one Cougar diver has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her 20 seasons. She has also coached Pozdniakova and Pakhalina to seven NCAA titles and 26 of her student-athletes have made an appearance at the NCAA Championships.
The team finished with a combined 53 points at the NCAA Championships to finish in 17th place. The program has now finished in the Top 25 in nine of the last 10 seasons.
Players Mentioned
