BOCA RATON, FL – Just about two weeks removed from its last competition, the FGCU swimming and diving team (2-5) will head to Boca for a tri-meet against FAU and Princeton, Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
"Looking forward to competing this weekend," said head coach
Dave Rollins. "We will have an opportunity to swim some new events while competing against two strong teams. Both Princeton and FAU are some of the best in their conference and they are very well coached. Should be a great meet."
The Eagles will look to bounce back after a tough stretch of opponents which included a pair of ACC foes in Georgia Tech and Miami while also facing SEC Auburn who was ranked #16. FGCU dropped its matches to the Yellow Jackets (159-84) and were narrowly edged by the Hurricanes (121-119). Meanwhile, the Eagles came away with a 200-34 win over SCAD before dropping its last meet of the weekend to then 16th-ranked Auburn (163-73) who is now #15 in the CSCAA TYR top-25 poll.
During the meet in Atlanta,
Gracie Redding (Orlando, Fla./The First Academy/FSU) claimed the 50 free title (23.40, a season-best time)
as Christina Kaas Elmgreen (Charlottenlund, Denmark/Ordrup Gymnasium) placed first in the 200 fly (2:02.85).
At Auburn,
Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Kornel Secondari Grammar School) captured the 100 breast title with a swim of 1:05.59 as
Megan Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Centennial CVI) produced a season-best score of 270 on the 3-meter spring which placed her second.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
FAU enters Friday's meet with a 3-1 record as the Owls are coming off a 181-119 win over Indian River State. During the meet, Fatimah Westbrook (100 breast, 50 free) and Danica Garbett (100 fly, 200 IM) each walked away at the end of the day with two individual wins. On the boards, Kaleigh Dundov placed first in the 1-meter dive (233.69) while Keegan Fluharty won the 3-meter portion (268.42)
The Eagles and the Owls have both faced UNF and Florida this year.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Princeton will be opening up its season against FGCU Friday afternoon. Last season the Tigers capped off their 2017 campaign going 9-3 overall with a 6-1 record in the Ivy League as they came in third place at the league meet. Notable returners who won an individual title at the Ivy League Championships include Regan Barney (400 IM), Joanna Curry (200 fly) and Izzy Reis who was a part of the winning 400 free relay team. Diver Sine Scribbick also returns as she placed fifth overall at the 2017 NCAA Zones Championships on the 3-meter dive in the Zone A final.
Friday Events vs FAU/Princeton
200 Medley Relay
1650 Freestyle
200 Freestyle
100 Backstroke
100 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
50 Freestyle
1M Dive
100 Freestyle
200 Backstroke
200 Breaststroke
500 Freestyle
100 Butterfly
3M Dive
400 IM
200 Freestyle Relay
CCSA WEEKLY HONORS
Melissa Novak – Diver of the Week (Oct. 2)
Gracie Redding – Swimmer of the Week (Oct. 9)
Megan Wakefield – Diver of the Week (Oct. 9)
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
Entering into his third season, head coach, Dave Rollins is only the second head coach in program history, taking over on Sept. 1, 2016. In his second season, Rollins guided FGCU to back-to-back CCSA titles, as well as the program's fourth-straight and ninth championship in 10 years. In addition, he has been awarded CCSA Coach of the Year in each of his two seasons at the helm. Previously, Rollins was the associate head men's swimming coach at The Ohio State University. Rollins brings over a decade of coaching experience to The Nest, which includes Olympians, NCAA Champions and All-Americans along with multiple conference champions. A standout collegiate athlete in his own right, Rollins was inducted into the University of Arizona's Hall of Fame in 2017 as a nine-time NCAA All-American, national champion, school record holder and team captain.
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.
