University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Day 1
Cougars Dominate 1-Meter Dive at American Championships
2/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Full Results
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Junior Danielle Shedd won the conference title in the 1-meter dive on Wednesday evening, and the University of Houston earned the top four spots in the event on the first day of the American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Led by the dominating effort of the Cougar divers, Houston is in first place overall after one day, with a score of 120. UConn is in second, with a score of 108, while East Carolina is in third, at 96.
"The divers really stepped up tonight, sweeping the 1-meter and getting us off to a great start as a team," said Houston interim head coach Keith Dawley. "There's nothing more that we could have asked from them."
Houston took the top four spots in the 1-meter prelims and repeated the feat in the finals on Wednesday night. Shedd led the way, setting a conference record with a score of 291.35. Her best dive was a forward 2 ½ somersault pike that was scored a 52.
Shedd was followed by redshirt freshman Micaela Bouter, who finished second with a score of 286.50. Senior Natasha Burgess, who won the event last season at the inaugural American Championships and was also the 2013 Conference USA champion in the discipline, took the bronze with a score of 284.20.
Sophomore Taylor Olanski finished fourth, netting a score of 263.80. On the day, the Cougar divers accounted for 68 of Houston's 120 points.
Two swimming relay races were also held on the opening day of the conference meet. The team of Mackenzie Alspaugh, Rachel Hobbins, Victoria Padial and Sharo Rodriguez finished sixth in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a season-best time of 7:34.66. East Carolina won the race.
In the 200-yard medley relay, the Cougars finished sixth. The team consisting of Jasmine Williams, Cameron Balkom, Maya Owens and Doroteja Bednjanec set the team's top mark of the season with a swim of 1:44.43. The event title went to SMU.
"On the swimming side of things, we had a good first day and had some solid swims against a very competitive field," said Dawley. "The fact that we were four seconds faster in the 800-yard freestyle relay and two seconds faster in the 200-yard medley relay than we've been all year highlights the potential we have for a very successful week."
 | RESULTS |
800-Yard Freestyle Relay
6. Houston - 7:34.66
Mackenzie Alspaugh, Rachel Hobbins, Victoria Padial, Sharo Rodriguez
1-Meter Dive
1. Danielle Shedd - 291.35
2. Micaela Bouter - 286.50
3. Natasha Burgess - 284.20
4. Taylor Olanski - 263.80
200-Yard Medley Relay
6. Houston - 1:44.43
Jasmine Williams, Cameron Balkom, Maya Owens, Doroteja Bednjanec
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
The Cougars take to the water again on Thursday for the second day of competition at the American Championships. Swimming preliminaries begin at 9 am CT, and the finals start at 5 pm CT. A complete schedule and links to live video streaming can be found at The American's Championships Central Page.
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