GAINESVILLE – In the final day of competition at the Pinch A Penny All Florida Invite, the FGCU swimming and diving team elevated the program to a new level, earning its first-ever win over Florida State to finish third overall in the meet amongst the state's best.
 
Over the weekend the Eagles compiled 661 points to place third, beating FSU in fourth (634) and Miami in fifth (389). Sitting in the lead was host Florida (956), followed by the University of California in second (861).
 
"Words cannot describe how incredibly proud I am of this team," head coach Neal Studd said. "They raced and supported their teammates like I have never seen.  It was a special day for us and battling together like that will set them up for a great season.  I want to thank my staff who were fantastic and make me look good. We hope to keep pushing this team forward to bigger and better things!"
 
The final day started with the 1650-yard freestyle where three Eagles finished the distance race in the top 10. Lani Cabrera (Barbados/St. Ursala's Secondary School) led the flock claiming seventh, clocking a 17:16.37. She was followed by Kellie Roedig (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Abington Senior HS) in ninth (17:48.39) and Caroline Hamilton (Davidsonville,Md./Archbishop Spalding HS) in 10th (17:58.44).

Next was the 200-yard backstroke where Kira Toussaint (Amstelveen, Netherlands/Leizer Karel College) cruised to a fifth-place finish after a time of 2:01.36. Directly following Toussaint was Karen Vilorio (Tegucigalpa, Honduras/Elvel School) in sixth with a 2:04.64. In the B final, Sandra Wilk (Lexington, Ky./Paul Lawrence Dunbar HS) took 11th with a 2:05.36

In the 100-yard freestyle senior  Emma Svensson (Uppsala, Sweden/Celsiusskolan) placed fourth with a 50.63 to lead the trio of Eagles competing in the event. Sara Hamilton (Stonehaven, Scotland/Mackie Academy) claimed 11th with a 52.15 and Toussaint 16th with a 54.25.

The day continued with the 200-yard breaststroke where Evita Leter (Paramaribo, Suriname/St Brendan's) swam a 2:22.99 to finish seventh, while Vanessa Rivas (White Rock, British Columbia/Earl Marriott Secondary School) placed 11th (2:24.33) and Samantha Rahael (Trinidad & Tobago/The Bolles School) in 12th (2: 26.65).
 
In the 200-yard butterfly Yee Ching Wong (Hong Kong, China/Dlocesan Girls School) swam to a sixrth-place finish while posting a 2:03.92. She was followed by Nina Schiffer (Dortmund, Germany/SG Dortmund) in eighth (2:05.58) and Christina Herfurth (Greenacres, Fla./John I Leonard HS) taking in tenth after swimming the B final (2:04.89).
 
The meet concluded with the 400-yard freestyle relay where FGCU had quartets finish in fifth and seventh place. The team of Sara Hamilton, Leter, Svensson and Rebecca Derogatis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Indian River/Cardinal Gibbons HS) led the Eagles with a 3:27.66, followed by Wilk, Wong, Schiffer and Toussaint with a 3:34.9.
 
After they return from Gainesville, the Eagles continue the season with their first home meet since October 2013 as they welcome CCSA-member Incarnate Word for a night of head-to-head competition on Oct. 17 at 4 p.m.   
 
For complete coverage of FGCU women's swimming and diving, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_WSWIM and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of each day.
 
2014 All Florida Invitational Women's Team Rankings
1. Florida - 956
2. University of California - 861
3. FGCU - 661
4. Florida State University - 634
5. University of Miami - 389
6. Nova Southeastern University - 169
7. University of North Florida - 97
 
FGCU is led by Neal Studd, who has garnered four CCSA Coach of the Year awards, won five CCSA Championships (2009-13) and guided the Eagles to a 25-1 CCSA all-time record since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just three years of postseason eligibility, Studd has coached NCAA Championship Meet qualifiers and competitors each of the three years, with 2014 yielding the best results to date as the Eagles claimed 32nd place and produced two CSCAA All-America honorees.