DALLAS - Yulia Pakhalina holds a very distinctive place in Conference USA history. The former University of Houston diver became the league’s first-ever national champion (team or individual) after capturing the NCAA 3-meter springboard title in 2002, seven years after the conference began competition. As part of Conference USA’s 25^th anniversary celebration, she was named to the league’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.
 
While competing as a student-athlete for the Cougars and C-USA, she was a three-time All-American, winning five NCAA championships and five conference titles. She was also a two-time NCAA and Conference USA Diver of the Year. Pakhalina won 64 of the 66 collegiate diving events in which she entered under Houston with her only losses coming during the finals of the NCAA Championships.
 
Pakhalina’s path to collegiate success began in her native Penza, Russia, where growing up as the daughter of a gymnast and diving coach, the pool became somewhat of a second home. Originally scared of the water at a very young age, she learned quickly to overcome that fear, and was recognized early on with essential physical traits for diving, along with a competitive drive and passion for perfection. She competed in the 3-meter springboard and 3-meter synchro events, winning several titles at the European and World Championships. One of her Russian teammates had mentioned the opportunity of diving and attending university in the United States. By this time, Pakhalina had already caught the eye of former Olympian and renowned Houston diving coach, Jane Figueiredo from international competitions. Figueiredo helped guide Pakhalina and her partner Vera Ilyina to a gold medal performance at the 2000 Sydney Games. After a heart-to-heart in the Pakhalina living room, it was decided that Yulia, under the guidance of Figueiredo, would attend the University of Houston.
 
Pakhalina fondly recalls her time as a student-athlete at Houston one of the most amazing experiences in her life. Along with the support system from the university community, she absolutely flourished within the structured schedule of a student-athlete filled with training, classes and studying.
 
“It was not such a difficult transition for me. Was I homesick? Yes,” recalled Pakhalina. “It was not an easy journey, but it was a lot of fun going to the meets, traveling with the team, competing and winning. It teaches you so many things. It allowed me to participate in sport, and have something other than sports.”
 
Pakhalina thrived on competition at the international and collegiate levels. Even though she had earned a gold medal before winning her first NCAA National Championship, the college experience was challenging her in different ways and she relished it. Beyond the competition and the crowds was the influence of her coach, Figueiredo, who Pakhalina said, “it was my joy just to dive with her” and that she would not have loved being in the states if it wasn’t for her.
 
“She taught me a lot of personal traits that I carried over to the pool,” said Pakhalina. “She taught me how to be a person first, a student first, and then an athlete. There’s a lot of things I learned from my coach. I have a lot of respect for her. Every time I competed, I couldn’t let her down.”
 
In her time at Houston and Conference USA, Pakhalina established herself as possibly the greatest female student-athlete in the storied history of Cougar athletics. She went on to claim a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Games in the 3-meter synchronized diving and a bronze in the 3-meter individual springboard. She graduated from Houston with a degree in sports management and also received the league’s Scholar Athlete of the Year award. Not ready to leave the sport and fueled by her competitive drive, Pakhalina continued to train at Houston with Figueiredo and a new partner, capturing two silver medals (3M synchronized and 3M springboard) during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
 
Since retiring from life as a competitor, Pakhalina decided to stay in the U.S., married her husband (a Cougar alum), started a family and currently resides in suburban Houston. She had remained active in the diving scene in Houston, working as part of the coaching staff of the Cougar Diving Club, as well as becoming the diving coach at her alma mater from 2014-15, until stepping away after having her second child and becoming a full-time mom. That transition has been different from her life as an elite athlete, but the competitive fire still burns. Pakhalina said she keeps herself in training shape and feels as if she could go back right now and dive if asked. At the moment, her family is her priority and she channels her competitive energy into her children, who she hopes one day may be competitive athletes as well. When the time is right, she would love to return to collegiate coaching.
 
Upon receiving the call from the conference office last summer letting her know of her selection, Pakhalina said it was a very warm feeling to be remembered and she was very proud, sentiments also shared by her husband and former coach. Her passion and competitive spirit that fueled her achievements are still evident when speaking with her today and she has a lot of knowledge and encouragement to share with current and future student-athletes.
 
“Have a goal, have a vision,” Pakhalina advised. “Become better than you thought you could be. Be the best you can be every day of your life.”