March 28, 2007

MELBOURNE, Australia - Former University of Houston divers Yulia Pakhalina and Tania Cagnotto finished third in their respective events during the recent 12th FINA World Championships.

Pakhalina, a native of Penza, Russia, scored 304.60 points on the 1-meter springboard to earn the Bronze Medal. China's Zi He claimed the Gold Medal with 316.65 points, while Canada's Blythe Hartley took the Silver Medal with 311.20 points.

On Sunday, the Cougars placed two former divers and one current member in the Top 11 during the finals of the 3-meter springboard. Tania Cagnotto, representing her native Italy, won the Bronze Medal with 341.70 points, while Pakhalina ranked fifth with 320.10 points.

Current Cougar sophomore Anastasia Pozdniakova, the 2007 NCAA National Runner-up on the 3-meter springboard, earned 283.45 points to finish 11th

Chinese divers Jingjing Guo and Minxia Wu finished 1-2 on the 3-meter springboard, finishing with 381.75 points and 368.80 points, respectively.

Pakhalina closed out her stay at the meet on Monday. Teaming with Russian teammate Irina Lashko, the duo scored 296.22 points to finish sixth in 3-meter synchronized diving.

Pakhalina's performance was nothing new for Cougar fans. In 2004, she won the Bronze Medal on the 3-meter springboard and teamed with Russian teammate Vera Ilyina to win the Silver Medal in synchronized diving during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The Russian duo won the Gold Medal in that event at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

A five-time NCAA individual national champion on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard, Pakhalina established herself as one of the most decorated female student-athletes in Cougar history. She reeled off 36 consecutive wins in collegiate competition and was an 11-time Conference USA Diver of the Week honoree.

Cagnotto competed at UH for only one season (2005-06) but made an immediate impact. The Bolzano, Italy, native set a UH- and C-USA record by being named C-USA Diver of the Week nine times and swept all three diving events at the 2006 C-USA Championship at UH's own Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium.

She joined Pakhalina (2002) as the only divers in C-USA history to win all three diving crowns at one Championship meet.

Pozdniakova just finished her sophomore season at UH and, like Pakhalina and Cagnotto, compiled numerous honors. In 2006-07, she was named the C-USA Diver of the Week four times during the regular season and was honored as the C-USA Diver of the Meet after winning both the 1- and 3-meter championships.

After winning the 1- and 3-meter championships at the NCAA Zone D meet, Pozdniakova continued her impressive performances at the 2007 NCAA Championships during her first appearance at the nation's top collegiate meet. She finished as the National Runner-Up on the 3-meter springboard and captured another All-America honor on the 1-meter board after finishing fifth.