The UH swimmers took their talents to Greensboro, N.C., Friday for the USA Swimming AT&T Winter National Championships, where they met top swimmers from around the country. Four Cougars with plenty of collegiate swimming experience behind them, as well as some that are continuing to build their reputation got a rare spot at the Nationals to represent Houston.
Freshman Ashley Grijalva and senior Taylor Gregory earned their chances to swim Friday by putting so much effort into their previous seasons. Both performed well in the pool as Grijalva placed 67th overall in the 100-yd breaststroke and Gregory placed 118th overall in the 100-yd backstroke.
Though the prestigious event saw only four cougars, they hold titles that helped them stand out above the rest. In high school, Grijalva was the 100-yd breaststroke state champion as well as the East Valley Tribune Swimmer of the Year.
In Gregory’s junior season, she claimed UH’s second fastest time in school history for the 100-yd backstroke as well as finished fourth at the conference championships.
In the lead with the highest women’s teams score on Friday was UCLA Swimming with 326 points. The Cougars will continue Saturday as Grijalva will swim her second event and her junior teammates Mackenzie Alspaugh and Maya Owens take to the pool for their first events.
