FORT MYERS, Fla. – Although the FGCU swimming and diving team (7-3, 1-0 CCSA) battled until the end, the Eagles came up short against #29 FSU (4-0) while earning dual-meet wins against Florida Southern (2-4) and West Florida (3-4) this weekend at the FGCU Aquatics Center.
 
After entering the day with a one-point lead against the Seminoles, FGCU surrendered the advantage in the opening 400 medley relay and couldn't mount a late comeback as the team ultimately suffered a 203.5-149.5 loss to the in-state rival. The Green and Blue recorded their sixth and seventh dual-meet wins of the season with a 250-103 win against West Florida and a 288.5-58.5 victory against Florida Southern. Complete dual-meet results are included below.
 
The Eagles claimed a pair of wins and turned in season-best marks in five of nine events. Senior captain Sandra Wilk (Lexington, Ky./Paul Laurence Dunbar HS) won her second event and turned in her second season-best time of the weekend as she touched the pads in 55.89 seconds in the 100 back. FGCU's 200 free relay of Katie Latham (Deal, Kent, UK/Sir Roger Manwood's School), Fanny Teijonsalo (Espoo, Finland/Makelanrinteen Lukio), Gracie Redding (Orlando, Fla./FSU/The First Academy) and Hannah Burdge (Stuart, Fla./Martin County HS) capped off the meet by defeating the Seminoles by nearly a second and turning in the 12th-fastest time in the country as they touched in 1:31.74.
 
Additionally, senior diver Ashley Wright (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Indian River CC/Lincoln Park Academy) followed Friday's performance by also surpassing the NCAA Zone Diving Standard in the 3-meter dive with a score of 284.15. Her mark was 0.40 points shy of her personal best and registers as the fifth best in program history.
 
"The girls stepped up and performed very well," said FGCU head coach Dave Rollins. "It's an emotional weekend with everything going on, but they did a great job supporting one another and racing hard from start to finish. The girls had been looking forward to this weekend. It's a good rivalry, and Florida State is doing good things up there. The important thing for us is keeping our focus on moving forward and learning from this weekend."
 
After a battle that saw the two teams trade leads during the first day of competition, the Seminoles reclaimed the lead against the Eagles after finished first and third in Saturday's opening 400 medley relay. FGCU's quartet of Teijonsalo, Evita Leter (Paramaribo, Suriname/Doral Academy), Redding and Burdge finished second in 3:46.90.
 
The Seminoles then saw its lead grow by out-touching the Eagles in each of the next four races. Hannah Wittman (Jupiter, Fla./Pittsburgh/Central Bucks East HS) and Elizabeth Zeiger (Cumberland, R.I./Homeschool) each finished third in the 200 IM and 1000 free as they turned in times of 2:05.77 and 10:16.03, respectively. Wittman's time in the event was nearly two seconds faster than she has swum this season. Later, after winning the 200 fly Friday, Christina Kaas Elmgreen (Charlottenlund, Denmark/Ordrup Gymnasium) placed second in the 100-yard event with a season-best time of 55.38. Burdge and Latham then finished second and third in the 100 free with times of 50.71 seconds and 50.83 seconds, respectively, but the duo was unable to gain any ground as FSU's Lydia Ware won the event.
 
Wilk brought the Eagles closer with her aforementioned win in the 100 back and the 200 free relay finished the weekend strong, but it was too little, too late for the Green and Blue in what has become one of the best in-state rivalries between FGCU and FSU.
 
COMPETE DUAL RESULTS
Women's Scores
FSU vs. West Florida: 258-95
FSU vs. Florida Southern: 290-57
FSU vs. FGCU: 203.5-149.5
FGCU vs. West Florida: 250-103
FGCU vs. Florida Southern: 288.5-58.5
West Florida vs. Florida Southern: 244-103
 
Men's Scores
FSU vs. Florida Southern: 225-90

UP NEXT
FGCU travels to Atlanta, Ga., for the three-day Georgia Tech Invite from Thursday, Nov. 17 through Saturday, Nov. 19. A season ago, the Eagles finished third in the 16-team field. 
 
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 DAVE ROLLINS
First-year head coach Dave Rollins became the program's second head coach in program history on Sept. 1. Most recently the associate head men's swimming coach at The Ohio State University, Rollins brings 10 years of coaching experience at the club, high school and collegiate levels. A standout collegiate athlete in his own right, Rollins was a nine-time NCAA All-American and national champion as a member of the University of Arizona swimming & diving team from 2002-06. 
                                                                        
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.