Cougars defeat rival Rice on senior day, dual-meet finale

Houston swimming and diving closed out its dual-meet season with a 152-81 win over rival Rice at CRWC Natatorium Saturday.

It was also senior day for the Cougars, honoring five seniors and their contributions to the program.

Senior spotlight
Noor El Gendy, Liya Goupil, Landry Hadder, Jenna Kerkman, and Virag Peter were all honored before the meet with roses and applause from their teammates.

When it came to the meet, the seniors had a standout performance with four out of the five placing first.

El Gendy, with the help of Goupil, junior Evelyn Entrekin and sophomore Alexia Duncan, got first place in the 400-yard medley race with a time of 3:36.63.

El Gendy also placed second in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:00.27.

For her, despite the first-place achievements she was most proud of doing it with her teammates.

“I just had the most fun with my girls, and that all I really wanted,” El Gendy said.

Goupil also won first place in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.35 and the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.45.

Goupil and Kerkman, with the aid of sophomore Sienna Bruner and junior Manita Sathianchokwisan, secured victory with a time of 4:20.16 in the 200-yard freestyle.

Hadder placed fifth in the women’s 400-yard individual medley, recording a time of 4:25.48.

For Hadder, senior night was something she enjoyed being part of.

“Lots of tears shed, lot of gifts,” she said. “Our team and family just made it feel so special.”

Peter finished the individual events, catching first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:13.42.

On the boards, junior Michelle McLeod finished atop both the 1-meter and 3-meter contests, with times of 296.78 and 331.50, respectively.

Up next, the Cougars will host its season home finale meeting with the Last Chance Meet from Feb. 6-7 at CRWC Natatorium.