Full Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With the Ohio State Invitational coming to a close, the FGCU women's swimming and diving program finished in 10th place with a team tally of 128 points at the McCorkle Aquatics Pavilion. The Eagles continued their momentum as they qualified eight NCAA B cuts and registered more program record-breaking swims.
Event 25 featured the 1650 Yard Freestyle as
Antonia Baerens and
Linda Shaw represented for the Eagles.
Baerens (Ottobrunn, Germany/Max-Josef-Stift) swam her way to 28th place in 17:04.67 making it the 9th fastest time in program history.
Shaw (Leeds, United Kingdom/Roundhay HS) performed her lifetime best of 17:32.39 giving her a 43rd place finish.
Doris Eichhorn (Berlin, Germany/HTW Berlin) got the ball rolling in the 200 Yard Backstroke preliminaries with a time of 2:01.78, which qualified her for the finals. Eichhorn performed her season-best dropping a second off her preliminary race at 2:00.73 granting her 33rd place.
Hannah Wittman (Jupiter, Fla./Central Bucks East HS) and Lindsay Manganiello (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef Senior HS) both clinched season-best times in the preliminaries at 2:07.89 and 2:12.24,
respectively.
"The team came into the last day on a mission," FGCU head coach
Dave Rollins said. "This was the most supportive I have seen them all season and the performances were a huge reflection of that. We had eight NCAA B cuts, 13 new top 10 swims, and many lifetime bests."
Gracie Redding (Orlando, Fla./The First Academy) who has been an unstoppable force the entire weekend, led the way in the 100 Yard Freestyle. Redding,
Rebecca Moynihan (Palmerston North, New Zealand/Waiopehu College), and
Hannah Burdge (Stuart, Fla./Martin County HS) all advanced to the final race. Redding finished in 12th place with a time of 49.83. Finishing just .28 seconds apart, Burdge claimed 26th place at 50.93 and Moynihan in 27th with a time of 51.21.
Yee Ching Wong (Hong Kong, China/Diocesan Girls' School) finished her preliminary swim in 45th place in 51.79, while
Madeline Clarke (Treasure Island, Fla./Northside HS) swam in 52.23.
Madison Jean (Parrish, Fla./Lakewood Ranch) saw an 84th place finish with a time of 53.92 and
Karin Schienvar (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel HS) finished in 54.84.
The 200 Yard Breaststroke featured all five Eagle swimmers in the finals with four new season-best times.
Hannah Soutar (Edinburgh, Scotland/Broughton HS) who qualified an NCAA B cuts, finished in the top ten with a time of 2:18.97.
Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Kornel Secondari Grammar School) finished in 21st in 2:15.71, while
Sommer Harris (Richmond, VA./St. Catherine's School) finished in 2:18.84.
Elizabeth White (Fort Myers, Fla./Riverdale HS) claimed a 36th place spot in 2:20.61 and
Vanessa Rivas (White Rock, Canada/Earl Marriott Secondary School) was the fifth swimmer to finish in 2:22.54.
The final event for FGCU was the 200 Yard Butterfly where one Eagle garnered above the top ten.
Christina Kaas Elmgreen (Charlottenlund, Denmark/Ordrup Gymnasium) finished in 8th place in 1:59.06.
Cassidy Fry (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood HS) claimed 20th in 2:03.10 making it the 3rd fastest in FGCU history and
Nicole Oppel (LeClaire, Iowa/Pleasant Valley HS) finished 30th in 2:09.39.
Christina Herfurth (Green Acres, Fla./John I. Leonard HS) was the last Eagle to swim in the finals and received 38th place in 2:06.32. Baerens just missed the finals by two spots in the preliminaries with a time of 2:08.61.
"Racing in November is like a midterm," Rollins said. "You see where you are, evaluate and make changes going into the conference season. The team was phenomenal in their commitment to the details and we as coaches are very excited to get into the next phase of the season."
Although no divers were seen in the finals,
Melissa Novak (Frederick, Md./Oakdale HS) reached a top 25 finish in the 1 meter preliminaries. The rookie dove her way to a score of 220.60, which was six points shy of qualifying.
Megan Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Centennial CVI) finished with a total score of 194.00, while
Stevie Meyerson (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern HS) and
Natalie Keffer (San Gabriel, Calif./Gabrielino HS) took the 39th (150.45) and 40th (147.70) spots.
In the 3 meter, Novak clinched the top spot for FGCU in 19th place with 235.00 points. Wakefield dove her way to 20th place (234.35). Meyerson finished in 26th (217.85), junior
Margot Kessler (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton Community HS) in 41st (172.30), and Keffer in 42nd place (167.65).
Finally, the platform dive saw two Eagles perform in top 25 fashion. Wakefield claimed the 13th spot with a score of 178.45, while Kessler in 24th place with 111.95 points.
FGCU will be back in action after the Thanksgiving holiday against Northwestern on December 17th at the FGCU Aquatics Complex.
Ohio State Invitational Final Scores
1. University of Kentucky - 733
2. NC State - 669.50
3. Notre Dame - 656
4. The Ohio State University - 642
5. Yale - 293.50
6. Pittsburgh - 255
7. Penn State - 175
8. Washington State - 160
9. South Carolina - 139
10. FGCU - 128
11. West Virginia - 80
12. Kenyon College - 27
IRMA RELIEF DONATIONS
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, many individuals and families throughout Southwest Florida are still in desperate need of assistance. To aid in those relief efforts, FGCU Athletics will be collecting donations at all Eagle home games for the immediate future. Donation items most needed include: non-perishable food, clothing, household items and first-aid supplies. Additionally, those unable to attend upcoming home games can drop off donations in canisters located in the Alico Arena lobby. All donations will be given to those hardest hit in Lee and Collier counties.
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
In his first year with the program in 2016-17, head coach Dave Rollins led FGCU to its eighth CCSA Championship in a span of nine years and guided the Eagles 200 free relay team to All-American honors. FGCU registered points at the NCAA Championships for the fourth-straight season and ultimately turned in its third-best finish all-time (T-41st). Prior to FGCU, Rollins was the associate head men's swimming coach at Ohio State University and brought 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.
