FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU swimming and diving team battled windy and cool conditions en route to a dominating 141-64 point victory against in-state rival FIU as the Eagles graduating class was honored on Saturday at the FGCU Aquatics Center. With the win, the Green and Blue improved its record to 12-1 (2-0 CCSA) and matched a program record for dual-meet wins in a single season, previously recorded in 2009-10.
 
"The girls stepped up and did a nice job overcoming some tough conditions today," said FGCU head coach Neal Studd. "Both teams swam well, and I'm just excited my seniors got to win on senior day. We have some great seniors that we're really going to miss dearly."
 
FGCU got off to a fast start and never looked back as the Eagles ultimately won nine of 11 events and placed two swimmers in the top-three of all but one race.
 
The 200-yard medley relay team of Elise Haan (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS), Evita Leter (Paramaribo, Suriname/Doral Academy), Fanny Teijonsalo (Espoo, Finland/Makelanrinteen Lukio) and Rebecca DeRogatis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Indian River) started the meet with a first-place finish in the event in a time of 1:43.56. Teammates Sandra Wilk (Lexington, Ky./Paul Laurence Dunbar HS), Katie Armitage (Bushey, United Kingdom/Queens School Bushey), Yee Ching Wong (Diocesan Girls' School) and Sara Hamilton (Stonehaven, Scotland/Mackie Academy) placed second behind the FGCU 'A' relay as they touched the pads in 1:45.25 and got the Eagles out to a quick 15-2 lead.
 
Haan and fellow freshman Katie Latham (Deal, Kent, United Kingdom/Sir Roger Manwood's School) each swam to a pair of individual wins during today's meet. The Naples native won both the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke as she touched the pads in 1:51.89 and 55.84 seconds, respectively. With a win in the backstroke, she improved her record to 8-0 in the event this season. Latham finished first in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles in time of 23.31 seconds and 50.53 seconds, respectively. Despite the tough conditions, her time in the 100-yard event was her third best of the season.
 
Teammate Barbara Caraballo (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Indian River) joined Haan on the podium for the 200-yard freestyle as she finished second in a time of 1:52.63, while Hamilton placed in the top-three in both freestyle sprints with a third-place finish in the 50-yard race (24.08) and a runner-up finish in the 100-yard event (52.03).
 
In the 200-yard IM, Teijonsalo earned her first individual collegiate win on Saturday as she nearly missed a personal record after touching the pads in 2:05.77, while Caraballo earned another runner-up finish in the event as she finished less than a second behind the Finland native in a time of 2:06.18.
 
Ching Wong edged out FIU's Letizia Bertelli and swam her way to a win in the 100-yard butterfly after clocking a time of 56.35 seconds. Teammate Christina Kaas Elmgreen (Charlottenlund, Denmark/Ordrup Gymnasium) placed third in the race as she touched the pads in 57.32 seconds.
 
Armitage earned her 13th individual win of the season and ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke after touching the pads in 1:03.76, nearly three seconds ahead of the field. Leter placed second in the event in a time of 1:06.30.
 
Additionally, the Eagles placed second and third in both distance freestyle races as senior Lani Cabrera (Bridgetown, Barbados/St. Ursala's Secondary School) and freshman Melissa Marinheiro (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS) made the podium in the 1000-yard race, while Marinheiro and Linda Shaw (Leeds, United Kingdom/Roundhay HS) did so in the 500-yard event.
 
The Green and Blue capped off the day with its final win the 200-yard freestyle relay. The FGCU quartet of Teijonsalo, Caraballo, DeRogatis and Latham touched first in the event in a time of 1:34.99, while teammates Ching Wong, Leter, Kristin Julien (San Fernand, Trinidad and Tobago/St. Stephen's College) and Kirsten Jamison (Tucson, Ariz./Arizona) placed third (1:39.20).
 
UP NEXT
Today's dual meet capped of the regular season for the Eagles, who will now spend the next few weeks training for the CCSA Championships held at the University of Georgia from Feb. 17-20. The Eagles look to earn their seventh conference crown in a span of eight years.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-date 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.
                                                                       
HEAD COACH NEAL STUDD
Neal Studd has garnered five CCSA Coach of the Year awards, won six CCSA Championships (2009-13, 2015) and guided the Eagles to a 83-26 (.761) overall record and 32-1 (.970) CCSA record since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just four years of postseason eligibility, Studd has coached NCAA Championship Meet qualifiers and competitors each of the four years, with 2015 yielding the best results to date as the Eagles finished a mid-major best 26th and produced four CSCAA All-America honorees.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.