2025 HOUSTON FIRST CHANCE MEET
- February 7-8, 2025
- Houston, Texas
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results (PDF)
The University of Hoston hosted Rice and Big 12 foe TCU on Friday and Saturday at the women’s-only First Chance Meet inside CRWC Natatorium, with multiple top-10 program times produced for the Cougars.
Highlighting the action was Houston junior Noor El Gendy, who set a lifetime best of 1:56.08 to rank #2 in school history.
El Gendy, who set her previous best of 1:57.71 earlier this season at the Phill Hansel Invite in November, was just 18 one-hundredths shy of the Houston Record of 1:55.90, set by Sasha Schwendenwein in 2009.
El Gendy’s swim was also just two-tenths outside of the 2024 NCAA cutline (1:55.88).
One day earlier, Houston’s Sydney Nethercutt set a personal best of 1:56.98 in the 200 fly, ranking her #4 all-time in school history.
Nethercutt also established a personal best of 16:34.87, improving her previous best of 16:40.96 from the Phill Hansel Invite to rank #5 in school history.
Rice swept the top three spots in the mile, with Amelia Kane (16:21.03) and Ava Portello (16:26.29) going 1-2 with personal best times. Kane moves to #2 in school history, while Portello ranks 5th for Rice all-time.
Houston sophomore Evelyn Entrekin had a strong showing in the 200 free, setting a best time of 1:47.81 to rank #8 in school history, and she also finished 2nd in the 100 breast (1:00.23) behind Houston Record holder Henrietta Fangli.
Fangli, Houston’s lone NCAA qualifier last season, touched in 59.98, exactly one second off her personal best from NCAAs last season (58.98). Her season-best sits at 59.19, which should be enough to qualify for NCAAs this season (59.75 cutline in 2024).
Rice’s Arielle Hayon topped the 100 fly in 53.66 after a 53.62 prelim swim, having set a season-best of 52.28 at the Phill Hansel Invite. She set the school record last season in 51.38.
The top performer for TCU was sophomore Rhanishka Gibbs, who set a lifetime best of 23.24 in the heats of the 50 free before placing 2nd to Houston’s Sienna Bruner in the final, 23.22 to 23.29. Bruner’s finals swim was also a PB.
