Facing a top 15 team in Texas A&M, the Houston swimming and diving program fell short against the Aggies this weekend in both the swim meet and diving invitational.
The Cougars started off slow on Friday, picking up third place in the opening 200-yard medley. The team, consisting of senior Kathryn Power, sophomore Audrey McKinnon, senior Katie Higgins and senior Mykenzie Leehy, put the Cougars on the board, finishing with a time of 1:45:10.
The Cougars were able to close the gap in the three-meter diving event, with senior Katie Deininger placing second, freshman Hedda Grelz coming in third, freshman Emilia Waters in fourth and junior Jolie Blodgett placing fifth.
The team ultimately picked up ten crucial points as the meet continued full swing.
Senior Ionna Sacha picked up the Cougars’ first first-place finish of the day in the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing with a time of 2:25:05.
The Cougars also dominated the 400-yard individual medley, picking up the first four spots in the event. Freshman Laura Garcia Marin picked up nine points with a first-place finish and Mai Ortega Bonilla gained four points in second.
The Cougars also placed Sacha in third and freshman Sophie Andeson in fourth. The team was able to pick up 18 points in the event.
Finishing the meet strong, three of the UH swimming and diving’’s 200-yard freestyle relay teams took first through third in the day’s final competition against Texas A&M.
Diving invitational
Grelz’ success continued into Saturday when she secured the highest score of the day for the Cougars with a 246.53.
Other UH swimming and diving athletes were not short on success in the final three-meter competition in Texas A&M. Waters’ 242.77 score gave her a fourth-place finish. Makayla Waller finished fifth with a score of 235.43.
The Cougars get a brief rest before heading north to Denton at the end of January.