ATLANTA – FGCU swimming & diving freshman Reese Wakefield was tabbed the CCSA's Diver of the Week, as announced by the league on Tuesday afternoon, after winning both the 1M and 3M titles in her collegiate debut.

"Congratulations to Reese, it is exciting to see the strong tradition of Eagle divers continue to grow," head coach Dave Rollins said. "Reese and her fellow classmates have brought a new energy to the deck this year and us as coaches couldn't be more excited for not just Reese to receive this honor, but the program as a whole."

Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Bishop Macdonelle CHS) won both diving events during the meet against conference foes Campbell and host Georgia Southern (Oct. 5) in decisive fashion. The rookie collected 259.28 points on the 1M board before earning 271.65 points in the 3M event. She outscored her opponents by a combined 26.92 points in both events.

Wakefield is the first freshman to take home the award for the Green and Blue since her sister, junior Megan Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Centennial CVI), did so in the 2017-18 season. Over the course of the 2018-19 season, the Eagles received Diver of the Week honors five times.

This is the first weekly honor for FGCU, as the team kicked off its season with meets against UNF, Campbell and Georgia Southern over the past weekend. On Friday (Oct. 4), the Eagles downed both UNF (185-76) and Campbell (133-128) in Jacksonville. The team then travelled to Statesboro, Ga. and defeated Campbell for the second consecutive day (146-94) and Georgia Southern (172-70). The 4-0 mark to start the season marks the team's best performance out of the gate since 2015.

The Eagles have a few weeks off until they host Vanderbilt in a 4 p.m. meet on Friday, Oct. 25. FGCU's home opener at the FGCU Aquatics Complex will be a pink out as the meet will be held on Cancer Awareness Night. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase "Together, we are stronger than cancer" shirts for $15, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

CCSA Weekly Honors
Swimmer of the Week - Annie Sanchez, Campbell, Sophomore
Diver of the Week - Reese Wakefield, FGCU, Freshman

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--