The true moment of glory for the Crimson came in the last race of the meet in the 200-yard freestyle relay, though. Harvard had lost all evening to the Jayhawks’ relays, but all the Crimson had to do was not be disqualified in order to clinch the win. But after being beaten three times already, Harvard wanted some payback and came back to win the relay over the Kansas team.

“At the end winning that last relay was amazing,” Pangilinan said. “It was a slap in [the Jayhawk’s] face.”

Houston was never really a major force in the meet from the start though, only placing in the top three in one swimming event. The Cougars took the third-place spot in the 400-yard IM. So the swimming portion of the meet turned into a head-to-head battle between Kansas and the Crimson.

“The Houston girls didn’t have very many people,” Bassi said. “They have some good swimmers, but their strength is really diving.”

Houston did have its time to shine though and that time came during the diving events. The Cougars boast two world-class divers, Azul Almazan and Anna Kleis, who have both brought home numerous awards and honors for the Houston team. Both divers have qualified and competed in NCAA Championships. Almazan even competed in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney for her home country of Mexico and placed 13th in the three-meter dive event.

Almazan took home a first-place finish in the three-meter dive as well as a third-place finish in the one-meter dive. Teammate Kleis did even better with a first place in the one-meter dive and a second-place finish in the three-meter.

But Harvard freshman diver Samantha Papadakis wasn’t fazed by her prestigious competitors. She stepped up to the challenge and finished second in the one-meter dive and third in the three-meter.

“Our divers really stepped up and weren’t intimidated,” Pangilinan said.