University of Houston
Day 2
Cougars Rewrite History, Collect Nine Top-10 Finishes
11/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
HOUSTON - Sophomore Ashley Grijalva led the way for the University of Houston Swimming team Friday night on the second day of the 2015 Phill Hansel Invitational. Houston finished the night with nine top-10 finishes, with seven of those times registering as team season bests at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.
"Tonight is a great stepping stone for our program," head coach Ryan Wochomurka said. "We're believing, and for us I think that's one of the most important things right now. Across the board, we're swimming extremely well, and to have multiple performances where student-athletes are rewriting our program's top-10 performances is encouraging. Across the board, from seniors down, we're swimming lifetime bests, and that's all we can ask right now, is to be swimming our very best."
The Cougars are currently in fourth place with a score of 519 after the second day of the invitational. Rice leads the pack with 773.5. Tulane follows in second with 584, and UC Davis rounds out the podium after two days with 572 points.
Grijalva had an outstanding day, as she captured first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a school record time of 1:01.74. She initially broke the school record that Szintia Szanto set in 2006 in Friday's preliminary round, when she swam a time of 1:02.26, and then she set a new record in the finals session. She also qualified for the NCAA B standard time with her performance. The time was the best in the American Athletic Conference this season.
"1:01.74 for Ashley is a time that has huge implications at the conference level," Wochomurka said. "If she can get a little better at the conference meet, she's knocking on the door of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, and that's very exciting."
The Cougars opened the evening session with a bang, as the 200-yard medley relay team posted a top-10 time in program history. Houston's "A" relay, comprised of Eleanna Koutsouveli, Grijalva, Sharo Rodriguez and Caitlin Horner, finished second overall and now holds the second-best time in program history with a time of 1:42.10.
Freshman Hannah Herbst finished tenth overall in the 400-yard IM. Her time of 4:25.70 is the seventh-fastest time in program history.
Rodriguez captured a fourth place finish in the 100-yard butterfly, as she netted a time of 55.10, a personal best. She is now tied for the second-best time in Cougar history with Sasha Schwendenwein, who swam the same time on Dec. 4, 2008.
In the 200-yard freestyle, freshman Delia Weber finished in tenth place, with a time of 1:50.83. Her personal best time is also the tenth-best mark in school history.
Also in the 100-yard breaststroke, Cameron Balkom placed tenth overall, moving up to fourth in program history with a time of 1:03.36.
Koutsouveli blew the B heat of finals out of the water, as she captured first and finished ninth overall in the 100-yard backstroke. Her time of 55.25 is the second-fastest time in program history. Jasmine Williams placed one spot back, with a swim of 56.22 for a 10th place result.
In the final event of the night, the 800-yard freestyle relay, the team of Weber, Conor Glenn, Julie Gibson and Herbst placed overall seventh overall with a time of 7:30.09, a team season best and the tenth-best time in program history.
"One thing our team has done really well is to continue to bring energy," Wochomurka said. "We're supporting each other. There's great unity right now, and those are the things that allow great performances to happen. I want to continue to bring that energy."
RESULTS
OVERALL
1. Rice - 773.50
2. Tulane - 584
3. UC Davis - 572
4. Houston - 519
5. Oregon State - 503
6. Colorado State - 476.5
7. North Texas - 394.5
8. New Mexico State - 366.5
9. Idaho - 358
10. Northern Colorado - 183
TOP-10 FINISHES
400 Medley Relay
5. Houston A - 1:42.10^
(Koutsouveli, Grijalva, Rodriguez, Horner)
400 IM
10. Hannah Herbst - 4:25.70*^
100 Fly
4. Sharo Rodriguez - 55.10*^
200 Free
10. Delia Weber - 1:50.83*^
100 Breast
1. Ashley Grijalva - 1:01.74*^ D1 B, SCHOOL RECORD
10. Cameron Balkom - 1:03.36*
100 Back
9. Eleanna Koutsouveli - 55.25*^
10. Jasmine Williams - 56.22
800 Free Relay
5. Houston A - 7:30.09^
(Weber, Glenn, Gibson, Herbst)
* - Personal Best
^ - Team Season Best
ABOUT PHILL HANSEL
This weekend's meet is named in honor of former University of Houston Swimming & Diving Head Coach Phill Hansel. Hansel, considered the Father of Cougar Swimming and Diving, led the Cougars from 1975 to 1996, racking up 70 dual-meet victories, a school record that still stands. He helped UH finish in the Top-20 ten times at the AIAW and NCAA Championships.
Hansel, a 1949 graduate of Purdue, was named the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year three times during his tenure, and mentored 31 swimmers to All-America honors, including Diane Johannigman, the first NCAA swimming national champion in UH history.
Hansel also had an impressive resume at the international level, serving as the manager of the 1992 U.S. Olympics teams and working with the Singapore teams at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.
UP NEXT
The Cougars take to the water for the final day of the Phill Hansel Saturday morning. Prelims begin at 10 a.m., and finals will begin at 5 p.m. You can follow live results at .
COUGARS TO HOST AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Houston will host the American Athletic Conference Championships for the first time as the best swimmers and divers in the league visit the CRWC from Feb. 17-20, 2016. Following the conference meet, the Cougars will look to close the season at the NCAA Championships, to be held March 17-19, 2016 in Atlanta.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in University of Houston Cougar athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonAthletics), Twitter (@UHCougars), Instagram (houstoncougars) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/UHAthletics). In addition, the swimming & diving team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonCougarSwimmingDiving) and Twitter pages (@UHCougarSwim), which provide regular updates on the team and live results during home meets.
--UHCougars.com--
Players Mentioned
