HOUSTON – The University of Houston divers will split from their swimming teammates this week to participate in the 2015 Texas Diving Invitational. The three-day event runs Thursday-Saturday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.
Redshirt sophomore Micaela Bouter, junior Taylor Olanski and senior Danielle Shedd will all take part in the 3-meter dive, held Thursday. Bouter and Shedd will also compete in the 1-meter, on Friday, while Olanski will complete the event Saturday in the platform competition.
Thursday’s 3-meter dive begins with prelims at 1 p.m. CT, and the top eight advance to the finals at 6:30 p.m. CT. Friday’s 1-meter competition starts with prelims at 10:30 a.m., and the top eight will compete in the finals at 5 p.m. The platform event on Saturday will have just one round, beginning at 10 a.m. CT.
Cougar fans can track all three days of the Texas Diving Invitational with live scoring, available through DiveMeets. In addition, Longhorn Network will offer live television coverage of the final round on both Thursday and Friday.
Bouter has paced the Cougars so far this season, winning American Athletic Conference Diver of the Week honors on Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. The sophomore won the 1-meter dive Oct. 24 at the Rice Invitational and had a huge Halloween weekend, winning the 3-meter in a dual meet with No. 21 SMU and both the 1-meter and 3-meter events against North Texas.
Shedd has also climbed to the top of the podium in 2015. The senior took the 3-meter crown at the Rice Invitational and the 1-meter title against No. 21 SMU.
Olanski will take to the platform for the first time in collegiate competition since the 2015 NCAA Championships. Then a sophomore, the London, Ontario, native finished 17th nationally at the event after earlier placing fourth in the Zone D Diving Championships.
The three Cougars will face stern competition in Austin, taking the boards against divers from host Texas, Arizona State, California, Colorado State, Miami (Fla.), North Texas, TCU, Trinity (Texas) and Wisconsin.
LAST SEASON AT THE TEXAS INVITATIONAL
All three Cougars competed in Austin last season. The Cougars were one of just two schools to place a pair of divers in the finals of the 3-meter event, with Olanski placing sixth and Shedd earning seventh.
In the 1-meter, Shedd finished second, just six points out of the top spot. Bouter also qualified for the finals and placed fifth overall after a second-place result in prelims.
The performance earned Shedd an American Diver of the Week nod, the first of her career.
Swimming news courtesy of Houston Swimming & Diving.
