University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Day 3
Houston Divers Continue to Excel at American Championships
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Finals Results | Prelims Results
GREENSBORO, N.C. - University of Houston sophomore Taylor Olanski won the conference title in the 3-meter dive on Friday evening on the third day of the American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Olanski's title headlined another big day for the Cougars on the boards, and several swimmers set personal bests while climbing the Houston record books.
After three days of competition, Houston sits in fifth place with a score of 314. SMU leads the way in first place overall with a score of 550. UConn is in second with a score of 428, and East Carolina is in third at 391.5.
Olanski led the Cougars with a score of 325.30, setting a new conference meet record. Her best dive came in the reverse 2 ½ somersault tuck, netting a score of 61.60. Teammate Danielle Shedd followed in second, with a score of 314.40. Senior Natasha Burgess took fourth with a score of 304.5, and redshirt freshman Micaela Bouter finished seventh, scoring 277.85.
"Our diving coach, Yulia Pakhalina, continues to get the most out of her group with Taylor and Dani climbing atop the podium again tonight," said Houston interim head coach Keith Dawley. "The divers stepped up and hit some really big dives tonight at opportune times."
On Wednesday, the Cougars swept the 1-meter dive, with Shedd earning the conference crown, Bouter and Burgess winning podium spots and Olanski finishing fourth.
In the 100-yard backstroke final, sophomore Jasmine Williams finished seventh. Her time of 56.08 was a new personal record and set the third-best time in school history.
In the consolation final, junior Taylor Derevyanik captured ninth place, with a swim of 56.27. She set a personal best and moved up to fifth on Houston's top-10 list in the event. Junior Doroteja Bednjanec took 13th place with a swim of 57.18, and junior Holly Criscuolo finished 16th with a time of 59.68. In preliminaries, Criscuolo set a personal best with a time of 58.62.
"The 100-yard backstroke was a big event for us, with four girls earning second swims and Jasmine making the first championship final of her career," said Dawley. "It was great to see Dora, Holly and Taylor continue to swim well and put points on the board."
Freshman Sharo Rodriguez finished the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:26.40, setting a personal best and swimming the ninth-fastest race in Cougar history. She finished ninth in the event and won the consolation final.
"It was great to see Sharo dominate the consolation final of the 400 IM from start to finish," said Dawley. "That was the spark we needed to have a great session."
In the 100-yard breaststroke, sophomore Cameron Balkom grabbed tenth place, setting a personal record with a time of 1:03.74. The time is the best of the season for Houston and the fifth-fastest time in school history.
Mackenzie Alspaugh led Houston with an 11th place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, setting her personal best with a performance of 1:51.25. Rachel Hobbins placed 14th, swimming 1:53.95.
Junior Maya Owens finished tenth in the 100-yard butterfly, setting the team's season best with her swim of 55.84. Derevyanik finished 15th in the event with a time of 56.76, followed by Criscuolo in 16th in a time of 56.86.
The relay team of Williams, Balkom, Owens and Bednjanec finished sixth in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:49.13. The time was the seventh-best mark in the UH record books. SMU won the event.
"We need to keep the energy up and get the job done tomorrow morning to start the final day off right," said Dawley. "We're in a great place to finish the meet on a high note, and we just have to focus on what makes us great. If we can do that, we'll have some really exciting races tomorrow."
 | RESULTS |
Overall
1. SMU - 550
2. UConn - 428
3. East Carolina - 391.5
4. Tulane - 331.5
5. Houston - 314
6. Cincinnati - 295
3-Meter Dive
1. Taylor Olanski - 325.30
2. Danielle Shedd - 314.40
4. Natasha Burgess - 304.15
7. Micaela Bouter - 277.85
100-Yard Backstroke
7. Jasmine Williams - 56.08*
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9. Taylor Derevyanik - 56.27*
13. Doroteja Bednjanec - 57.18
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16. Holly Criscuolo - 59.68^
18. Taylor Gregory - 1:00.41
100-Yard Breaststroke
10. Cameron Balkom - 1:03.74*
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17. Marissa Lehman - 1:06.06
200-Yard Freestyle
11. Mackenzie Alspaugh - 1:51.25*
14. Rachel Hobbins - 1:53.95
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20. Emma Moore - 1:55. 34*
25. Leah Ortiz - 1:59.54
100-Yard Butterfly
10. Maya Owens - 55.84
15. Taylor Derevyanik - 56.76
16. Holly Criscuolo - 56.86
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24. Caitlin Horner - 1:00.20
400-Yard Individual Medley
9. Sharo Rodriguez - 4:26.40*
400-Yard Medley Relay
6. Houston - 3:49.13
Jasmine Williams, Cameron Balkom, Maya Owens, Doroteja Bednjanec
* - Set a PR
^ - Set a PR of 58.62 in preliminaries
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
The American Championships wrap up tomorrow with the meet's final seven events. Olanski, the inaugural American Platform Diving Champion, looks to repeat coming off of Friday's first place finish in the 3-meter dive.
Swimming preliminaries begin at 9 am CT, followed by diving at 11:30 am CT. The senior recognition ceremony takes place at 4:35 pm CT and the finals session begins 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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