DAY 3 FINALS

For the second straight night, University of Houston sophomore Anastasia Pozdniakova captured a diving championship, scoring 337.30 points to easily win the 1-meter springboard event during the third day of the 2007 Conference USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Men’s Invitational at UH’s own Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.

The Elektrostal, Russia native, who won the 3-meter springboard event on Thursday, scored 323.75 points in the preliminaries and maintained that high level with 337.30 points to win by more than 30 points in the finals.

She was part of a Cougar sweep in the 1-meter event as UH claimed the Top Three places. Junior Ginni van Katwijk placed second with 291.70 points, while senior captain Rachel Gitelson captured third place with 259.15.

Pozdniakova was one of three Cougar student-athletes to win C-USA championships on Friday night. Sophomore Andrea Pa’lmai won the 400-yard individual medley for the second straight season, posting a time of 4:25.89.

Competing in her first C-USA Championship, freshman Jessica Shamburger won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.36. Her time was the second fastest in school history.

After the third day, the Cougars remained in third place with 401 points. SMU, the defending women’s champion, held the lead with 556 points, while Rice was second with 440.50 points. East Carolina (377) and Marshall (231.50) rounded out the rest of the women’s field.