Broken Record Highlights Second Day of Phill Hansel Invitational

Photo by: Stephen Pinchback

Broken Record Highlights Second Day of Phill Hansel Invitational

11/17/2018 8:50:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

Saturday Final Results Team Scores Thru Saturday

40-year old record falls on second day of action at CRWC

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Swimming & Diving team posted nine NCAA B-Cuts and 669 points on the second day of action at the Phill Hansel Invitational. The day was highlighted by the shattering of a 40-year-old program-record by sophomore Katie Higgins and a multitude of lifetime bests.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Cougars started off the second session much like the first with six Cougars advancing to the finals of the 400 Individual Medley. Eleanna Koutsouveli led the charge with a third-place finish at 4:19.80. All of the Houston swimmers finished in the top-25. In the finals, Koutsuoveli led Houston with a second-place finish after posting an NCAA B-Cut time of 4:15.37. All six Cougars finished in the top-25.
Seven Cougars moved on to the finals of the 100 Butterfly, led by Katie Higgins with a personal-best time of 54.22. Higgins time marks the second-best in program history. Kaley Hoffman and Morgan Rosas also closed out prelims with lifetime best. In the finals, Higgins shattered the program record in the event that dates back to 1978 when she finished second in the event at 53.83. Rebecca Brandt finished third with the fifth-best time in Houston history at 54.61. All of the Houston swimmers finished the race in the top-25.
Zarena Brown continued to swim past the competition with her second NCAA B-Cut time of the weekend. Brown finished the 200 Free at 1:46.54 for first-place. Rachel Hicks posted a lifetime best in the prelims at 1:50.56, finishing 15^th. Nine Cougars advanced to the finals of the event where Brown once again finished first with another NCAA B-Cut time of 1:45.51. Hicks bested her previous lifetime best finishing at 1:50.15 for sixth in the B-Final.
In the 100 Breaststroke Peyton Kondis and Angeliki Mavrantza post NCAA B-Cuts, finishing first and third. Kondis posted a time of 1:00.55 and Mavrantza finished at 1:01.33 for the third-best time in program history and a lifetime best. Five Cougars advanced to the finals in the event where Mavrantza post the second-best time in program history at 1:00.71 for second-place. Kondis finished third with an NCAA B-Cut time of 1:00.85.
Laura Laderoute posted an NCAA B-Cut time of 53.71 for first-place in the 100 Backstroke. Katie Power finished second-overall with a lifetime best of 54.69. Five Houston swimmers advanced to the finals in the event where Laderoute finished first-overall with an NCAA B-Cut time of 53.76, her second of the day.
In the 200 Medley Relay, Laderoute, Kondis, Higgins and Leehy combined for a first-place finishing time of 1:38.81. The group came within milliseconds of breaking the program record in the event.
In the final event of the evening Leehy, Samantha Medlin, Kylie Andrews and Brown finished third at 7:17.64.
On the boards the Cougars had a stellar showing in the 3-Meter. All four Cougars advanced to finals where Houston swept the event, taking first through third. Lauren Burrell finished with a lifetime best 314.80, Jaylynn Whitt finished with a lifetime best 302.35, and Katie Deininger finished with a lifetime best 297.65.

HOUSTON FINISHES

400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
2. Eleanna Koutsouveli – 4:15.37
10. Morgan Rosas – 4:21.90
13. Haley Benjamin – 4:23.88
14. Gaby Jimenez – 4:24.71
18. Rebecca Brandt – 4:23.72
23. Reese Lamph – 4:27.87

100 BUTTERFLY
2. Katie Higgins – 53.83
3. Rebecca Brandt – 54.61
8. Victoria Tillman – 56.15
14. Morgan Rosas – 56.03
19. Kaley Hoffman – 56.09
21. Isabel Tank – 56.22

200 FREESTYLE
1. Zarena Brown – 1:45.51
7. Mykenzie Leehy – 1:49.59
8. Samantha Medlin – 1:50.85
13. Kylie Andrews – 1:50.08
14. Rachel Hicks – 1:50.15
19. Conor Glenn – 1:51.48
21. Julie Gibson – 1:52.17
31. Hanna Blewett – 1:54.35
33. Shayla Erickson – 1:51.62

100 BREASTSTROKE
2. Angeliki Mavrantza – 1:00.71
3. Peyton Kondis – 1:00.85
17, Gaby Jimenez – 1:02.74
18. Hannah Middleton – 1:03.44
25. Hannah Esopenko – 1:05.01

100 BACKSTROKE
1. Laura Laderoute – 53.76
4. Kathryn Power - 55.29
13. Kaley Hoffman - 56.33
15. Monique Rae - 57.51
40. Isabel Tank - 59.31

200 MEDLEY RELAY
1. Laderoute, Kondis, Higgins, Leehy – 1:38.81

800 FREESTYLE RELAY
3. Leehy, Medlin, Andrews, Brown – 7:17.64

3-METER
1. Lauren Burrell – 314.80
2. Jaylynn Whitt – 302.35
3. Katie Deininger – 297.65
13. Claire Liptak – 228.80

WHO IS PHILL HANSEL
From 1975-1996, Hansel was the most influential man for the University of Houston swimming and diving team. He guided the Cougars to more than 70 dual meet victories and ten Top 20 finishes at the AIAW and NCAA Championships. All of that hard work paid off, as Phill Hansel was inducted into the Hall of Honor on Nov. 14, 2008. In 1996, Hansel finished out the season with over 39 years of coaching experience and was recognized as one of the most successful collegiate swim coaches in the nation.
In his honor, the University of Houston will host the Phill Hansel Invitational every fall. The event will take place this season from Nov. 16-18 at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium.

WHERE TO WATCH
Meet information including teams, event schedule, parking, and meet results can be found by clicking HERE.

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/UHCougarSwim) and Twitter pages (@UHCougarSwim), which provide regular updates on the team and live results during home meets.