STATESBORO, Ga. – For the first time since 2015, the FGCU swimming & diving team has started off its season 4-0 after picking up a pair of victories over Campbell (146-94) and host Georgia Southern (172-70) Saturday afternoon at the Recreation Activity Center.

"The team had a very solid day," said head coach Dave Rollins. "After shaking off some nerves of their first meet, it was great to see the team rise to the occasion of competing on back-to-back days. In addition to the strong swims in the pool, getting to see our freshmen divers compete for the first time brings a great sense of excitement to the season. Congratulations to Reese on winning both boards in her first collegiate meet. Now, we have three weeks before we welcome Vanderbilt to the Nest and we will be ready."

The Eagles (4-0, 4-0 CCSA) got off to a hot start, grabbing first-place finishes in the opening two events of the meet. The team of freshman Lucija Sulenta (Zagreb, Croatia/Gimnazija I ekonomska skola Benedikta Kotruljevica), junior Petra Halmai, senior Cassidy Fry and freshman Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla./Cutler Bay Senior HS) edged out Campbell (2-2, 2-2 CCSA) by 0.50 seconds to take the 200-yard medley relay. Freshman Hannah VanDress (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) followed up with her second victory in the 1000-yard freestyle in as many days.

Senior Liz Zeiger and Fry (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood HS) earned back-to-back wins in the 200 IM and the 100 Fly, respectively, to continue the momentum for FGCU. Zeiger (Cumberland, R.I./Homeschool) also tacked on a win in the 500-yard freestyle, dominating the field by a full six seconds.

In their debut for the Green and Blue, freshmen Reese Wakefield and Delaney Nelson took the top two spots in both the 3M and 1M diving events. Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Bishop Macdonelle CHS) won both titles, while Nelson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) was the runner-up. A member of the Georgia Southern (0-5, 0-2 CCSA) squad finished third in both events.  

The Eagles continued to pick up wins, as the team swept the 100-yard breaststroke. Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Komel Secondari Grammar School) touched the wall first and was followed by seniors Elizabeth White (Fort Myers, Fla./Riverdale HS) and Emily Glinecke (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove HS).  

Overall, FGCU finished first in eight of the meet's 13 events.

Up Next
The Eagles will have a few weeks off in preparation for their home opener against Vanderbilt (0-1) on Friday, Oct. 25. The meet at the FGCU Aquatics Complex is set for a 4 p.m. start time and will be a pink out, as the team will be hosting Cancer Awareness Night.

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 29-13 (.690) dual meet record, which includes an 11-1 (.916) 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--