Duncan, McLeod lead Cougars’ strong showing at Gary Ota Invitational

From repeated first-place wins to consistent top-10 finishes, Houston swimming and diving’s performance at the two-day-long Gary Ota Memorial Invitationals held at Fresno State Aquatics Center was full of highlights.

Despite losing to San Diego State by 18 points, the team, led by sixth-year head coach Tanica Jamison, was seen on the podium as top competitors across multiple events on both Friday and Saturday.

Californian junior Alexia Duncan opened the weekend with a first-place win in the 200-yard IM.

Duncan’s Friday win was swiftly followed by juniors Elizabeth Jimenez, Sienna Bruner, senior Tierney Howell and fifth-year Manita Sathianchokwisan securing a first place win in the women’s 200 free relay with a score time of 1:32.31.

The streak continued with Duncan achieving a first place win in the 100 back and senior Michelle McLeod winning first place in the 1-meter.

The first meet would close out with two Cougars, senior Jimenez and fifth year Sathianchokwisan, securing the sixth (22.78)  and eighth (22.90) top overall times for meet one.

The Cougars’ found themselves continuing this display of athletic passion on Saturday with six Cougars setting personal best times: freshman Ruby Esparza (58.92), sophomore Megan Jones (58.78), juniors Sienna Bruner (1:01.16), Kristina DiPietro (1:00.53), Regina Pomar (57.68) and senior Tierney Howell (59.34).

Furthermore, Duncan topped the leaderboard again with another first place win in the 200 back, followed by a first place win in team diving by McLeod, freshman Corinna Ruffini and junior Caroline Roelen.

Overall, Houston found success in both individual gain and team growth with multiple first place finishes and personal best times.

With strong individual performances and continued success across swimming and diving events, the Cougars demonstrated their competitiveness and depth as a team.

Their performance, contrary to their loss at Fresno State, still sets a promising tone for the remainder of the season as Houston looks to build on its momentum in upcoming meets.

Houston will now turn to its season home opener, a dual meet against North Texas, with the two-day event beginning on Oct. 30 at 3 p.m.