2024 Rice Fall Splash
- October 11-12, 2024
- Houston, Texas
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Houston Athletics
HOUSTON – The University of Houston Swimming & Diving team collected six event wins and 17 podiums, highlighted by freshman Lottie Cullen picking up a program top ten time, as the team wrapped up competition at the Rice Fall Splash and Houston Diving Invitational on Saturday at the CRWC Natatorium (diving) and Rice Competition Pool (swimming).
RICE FALL SPLASH
Continuing an effective first weekend of collegiate competition, Cullen led the way for Houston with a first place showing in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 54.50. The mark was the seventh-fastest in team history. Sophomore Elizabeth Jimenez joined Cullen on the podium in second with a time of 56.18.
Junior Virag Peter placed first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:16.50) with senior Henrietta Fangli touching the wall in 2:20.10 for third place. Junior Noor El Gendy claimed her third first-place mark of the weekend in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 56.41 while senior Adelaide Meuter took second in the same event with a 56.54.
Cullen, El Gendy, Fangli and junior Liya Goupil earned the top spot in the 200-yard medley relay (1:43.34) with Jimenez, sophomore Evelyn Entrekin, Meuter and senior Mary Catherine Jurica finishing third with a mark of 1:45.35.
Goupil, Jurica, freshman Sienna Bruner and freshman Alexandra Curcan placed second in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:28.20. Goupil placed second in the 50-yard freestyle while Jurica claimed third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.67) and sophomore Nora Hetyei placed third in the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.86).
Overall, Houston won the Rice Fall Splash with a team score of 383.5 while Rice scored 286 and Little Rock scored 144.5.
UP NEXT
Houston returns to action on Oct. 24 for a dual meet against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
Courtesy: Rice Athletics
HOUSTON – Both of the Rice swimming and diving teams opened the season in different parts of The Bayou City, with swim hosting the Rice Fall Splash and dive taking part in the Houston Diving Invitational on the campus of the University of Houston.
The swim team finished day one in second place in the Rice Fall Splash, with a total point count of 149. Houston is the current leader in the invitational with a point count of 180, while Arkansas Little Rock checks in at third place with 66 points.
“I liked what I saw today,” said swim and dive head coach Seth Huston. “The team had great energy throughout the session. While this is our first meet of the season and we will have a lot to process and learn from, we looked strong in the water and stayed focused on ourselves. Looking forward to seeing how we respond on Saturday.”
Ava Portello notched the first individual victory for Rice this season with a time of 4:54.34 in the 500 Yard Freestyle. Ella Dyson and Amelia Kane rounded that event out with second and third place finishes at 4:57.02 and 4:58.29, respectively.
In the following event, the 100 Yard IM, Arielle Hayon claimed first place with a time of 57.46. Rice’s next first place finish would come in the 200 Yard Backstroke, where Ava Hamblett led the pack with a time of 1:59.91, a hundredth of a second before Houston’s top finisher in the event.
Kane and Reese Cole finished first and second in the 400 Yard IM with times of 4:24.82 and 4:27.15, respectively. They would clinch Rice’s final top finish of the day.
In diving, Rylee Coyne and Megan Phillip revived the program that was dormant for 33 years, taking part in the Houston Diving Invitational at UH.
“It was awesome to see the divers compete at UH,” said Huston. “I was genuinely proud just to see Gabi, Megan and Rylee coaching and competing for Rice for the first time.”
Coyne was the first Rice diver of the day in the one-meter dive, where seh finished with a final score of 210.80. Phillip finished in the top-10 of the event with a final score of 232.25.
In the three-meter dive, Coyne notched a 12th-place finish with a score of 218.15, while Phillip placed 10th with a final tally of 248.50.
Both divers will be back in action tomorrow for platform and team events at UH.
