University of Houston Athletics
Eight Cougars to Compete for Titles on Championship Saturday
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Feb. 26, 2011
HOUSTON - The University of Houston swimming and diving team made the championship finals in six events, while six more Cougars made the consolation finals in the last day of the Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Freshmen Heather Winn and Laykin Lowry, juniors Kim Eeson and Beccy Hillis, sophomore Reka Kovacs and senior Andrea Kells are all in the hunt for C-USA individual titles after qualifying for the championship finals in Saturday morning's prelims. Divers Lacey Truelove and Julia Lonnegren finished 1-2 in the platform prelims to also qualify for the championship finals.
In the first event of the morning, sophomore Kimmy Ballo swam a season-best time of 2:04.33 to qualify for the 200-yard backstroke consolation finals. Freshman Marissa Blumenthal swam a personal-best 2:07.53 in the event to join Ballo in the consolation finals.
Eeson punched the Cougars' first ticket to the championship finals with her 100-yard freestyle time of 50.94. Sophomore Moira Fraser broke her personal record with her 52.50 to make it back to Saturday night's consolation finals.
Hillis earned a two-seed in the championship finals in the 200-yard breaststroke. She will set out to defend her conference title in the event after posting the fourth-best time in program history in prelims (2:17.18). Junior Natalie Newcomb (2:23.15) and sophomore Holli Pisarski (2:23.60) posted personal bests to earn their way into the consolation finals.
Two more Cougars will compete for conference titles in the 200-yard butterfly. Kovacs (2:04.45) and Kells (2:04.94) each earned a spot in the championship finals, as Kells posted her season-best time in the event to finish eighth.
Freshman Laykin Lowry will compete in the 200-yard butterfly consolation finals with a prelim time of 2:08.18. Fellow rookie Emma Nelson notched a PR in the event 2:12.58.
Lowry and Winn will kick off the evening competing for the C-USA crown in the mile (1650-yard freestyle). Nelson swam the mile in the morning's prelims as a timed final. Her season-best time of 18:05.26 will be submitted into Saturday's final results.
Heading into Saturday night's finals, Houston is holding down fourth place (356) over Tulane (232.5) and Marshall (200). Rice (451), No. 23 SMU (446) and East Carolina (439.5) sit in the top-three spots.
The finals will begin at 6 p.m. at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium with the 1,650-yard freestyle championship finals.
Saturday Prelims
1650-Yard Freestyle | Championship Finals (Timed Finals)
Heather Winn
Laykin Lowry
Platform Diving | Championship Finals
Lacey Truelove
Julia Lonnegren
200-Yard Backstroke | Consolation Finals
Kimmy Ballo
Marissa Blumenthal
100-Yard Freestyle | Championship Finals
Kim Eeson
100-Yard Freestyle | Consolation Finals
Moira Fraser
200-Yard Breaststroke | Championship Finals
Beccy Hillis
200-Yard Breaststroke | Consolation Finals
Natalie Newcomb
Holli Pisarski
200-Yard Butterfly | Championship Finals
Reka Kovacs
Andrea Kells
200-Yard Butterfly | Consolation Finals
Laykin Lowry
Players Mentioned
