JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU swimming and diving team (2-0, 2-0 CCSA) picked up a pair of wins on Friday afternoon as the team defeated host UNF (0-2, 0-2 CCSA) and Campbell (1-1, 1-1 CCSA) at the Bolles School. The Eagles downed the Ospreys 185-76 and edged out the Camels 133-128.

"It's no secret that we have a young team, but that's what makes it so exciting," said head coach Dave Rollins. "Bringing these girls together for a road trip against CCSA competition was the perfect way for us to start the year. Plus, getting to see some first-time Eagle wins is always special. We are focused on what we need to do to get better week to week, meet to meet. There are some details that we need to clean up, but that's to be expected early in the season. The most important thing is how they react in the moment and how they mentally respond when faced with a challenge."

The quartet of freshman Lucija Sulenta, junior Petra Halmai, senior Cassidy Fry and freshman Kaja Reinhardt won the first event of the meet, dominating the 400-yard medley relay by almost a full three seconds.

The freshman class had a strong showing in its first official meet for FGCU. Hannah VanDress won the 1000-yard freestyle by seven seconds, laying down her second-fastest split time in the final 50 yards. Sulenta (Zagreb, Croatia/Gimnazija I ekonomska skola Benedikta Kotruljevica) was 0.68 seconds off the winning time in the 100 Back and rookie Anna Hogan finished in the top three of the 100-yard breaststroke. The top three times in Hogan's (Louisville, Ky./DuPont Manual HS) race were separated by just 0.43 seconds. Reinhardt (Herdecke, Germany/Helene-Lange-Gymnasium Dortmund) also added points, taking home first place in the 500 Free.

"Congratulations to Lucy, Kaja and Hannah on earning their first-ever wins as Eagles," said Rollins. "It's something I'm sure they will always remember. It was especially exciting to see Kaja win, as she had never swam the 500-yard freestyle and she was extremely consistent."

Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Komel Secondari Grammar School) and senior Elizabeth White also claimed a pair of first-place finishes in the opening events of the meet. Halmai won the 200 Fly, while White (Fort Myers, Fla./Riverdale HS) came out on top of the tightly-contested 100 Breast event.

Through the first seven events, the Eagles held an 89.5-40.5 point advantage over UNF and a 66-64 point edge over Campbell.

Down the stretch, FGCU continued to pick up victories that provided vital points to the team. Fry (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood HS) claimed the 100 Fly and senior Elizabeth Zeiger (Cumberland, R.I./Homeschool) earned a first-place finish in the 200 IM, followed by runner-up Hogan.

The Eagles swept the 200 Breast, as Halmai picked up her second individual win of the meet, while White and Hogan rounded out the top three. In the final event of the day, the team of freshman Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla./Cutler Bay Senior HS), Reinhardt, Sulenta and Fry finished second in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
 
Up Next
The team will be back in action tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 5) to take on CCSA foes Campbell and Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. at the Recreation Activity Center. The meet is set for a Noon start time.

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
Head coach Dave Rollins is only the second coach in program history. He was hired Sept. 1, 2016 and owns a 27-13 (.675) dual meet record, which includes a 9-1 (.900) mark against CCSA opponents, in his fourth season. Rollins guided FGCU to back-to-back CCSA titles (2017, 2018), as well as the program's fourth-straight title in 2018, marking the ninth championship in 10 years. In addition, he has been awarded CCSA Coach of the Year in two of his 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 helping to develop Olympians, NCAA Champions and All-Americans, along with multiple conference champions. A native of Brockton, Mass., he was a standout collegiate swimmer in his own right and 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.

#FEEDFGCU
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.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 78 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.

--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--