LYNCHBURG, VA – The FGCU swimming and diving team battled through the final events, collecting 542 points on day three of the CCSA Championships as the Eagles remain in second place behind Liberty.

"The team keeps battling which is what you love to see," head coach Dave Rollins said. "Starting the night off with a win is always huge for the team and to be able to carry that momentum throughout the night was incredible. Congratulations to Gracie and Petra on their wins tonight. We continue to accumulate new lifetime bests marks and season times which is incredible given the circumstances. With one more day of racing, it should prove to be just as or if not more exciting than today!"

FGCU shined in the A Final of the 100 fly, scoring a quartet Eagles in the top-8. Senior Gracie Redding (Orlando, FL./The First Academy) captured her second event of the week, placing first with an NCAA 'B' time of 53.12*. Senior Christina Kaas Elmgreen (Charlottenlund, Denmark/Ordrup Gymnasium) (54.06) and freshman Wiktoria Czarnecka (Lublin, Poland/Liceum nr 10 w Lublinie) (54.42*) finished third and fourth, respectively, as Cassidy Fry (Oakwood, OH/Oakwood HS) (54.93) rounded out the scoring placing eighth.

Junior Madison Jean (Parrish, FL./Lakewood Ranch HS) (55.80*) and senior Kiley Eble (Cleveland, OH/Gilmour Academy) (56.60*) finished 11th and 13th, respectively, to score valuable points for FGCU in the B Final.

In the 400 IM A Final, junior Elizabeth Zeiger (Cumberland, RI./Homeschool)  gave a valiant effort and rallied to take third overall as she touched out with a mark of 4:21.19*.

The Eagles continued to score crucial points, this time in the A Final of the 200 free where they once again placed four swimmers in the top-8. Senior Linda Shaw (Leeds, United Kingdom/Roundhay HS) placed second overall with a swim of 1:48.81* to score 31 points. Shaw has now placed in the top-3 of the 200 free in all her four years as an Eagle.

Meanwhile, senior Antonia Baerens (Ottobrunn, Germany/Nevada) (1:50.53*), sophomore Rebecca Moynihan (Palmerston North, New Zealand/Waiopehu College) (1:51.30), and senior Hannah Burdge (Stuart, FL./Martin County HS) (1:51.99) finished 6-7-8, respectively, to cap off the scoring.

In the 100 breast, sophomore Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Kornel Secondari Grammar School) claimed FGCU's second overall event win of the night. The Hungary native produced a swim of 1:00.62* to take home the title. Her time was just .34 tenths of a second off from breaking a new school record. Junior Emily Glinecke (Pottstown, PA./Pottsgrove High School) was the other Eagle to score in the A Final, placing sixth with a time of 1:03.35.

Transitioning into the 100 back finals, senior Doris Eichhorn (Berlin, Germany/HTW Berlin) was edged out of first place by one-tenth of a second as she touched out with a time of 53.96*. Freshman Kellie Fischer (Edmond, OK./Edmond Memorial High School) was the second Eagle in the A Final, placing seventh (56.54*).

The final event of the night was a nail biter as the Eagles placed second in the 400-yard medley relay. The team of Eichhorn, Halmai, Elmgreen, and Moynihan combined for a time of 3:38.29*, just three-tenths of a second shy from first place. In the process, it became the fourth-fastest time in program history, surpassing last year's runner-up team by eight-tenths of a second.

The final day of the CCSA Championships will continue tomorrow with the prelims starting at 10 am and the final events at 6 pm (1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and 400 free relay).  

Notables

• - Redding and Halmai are now the second-fastest performers in their respective events in school history.

- Czarnecka now sits ninth in program history in the 100 fly.

- Glinecke moved into eighth all-time in program history with her time in the 100 breast. 

*Denotes season-best time

Standings
1. Liberty-1,366.5
2. FGCU-1190
3. Incarnate Word-773
4. Georgia Southern-698
5. Campbell-598.5
6. UNC Asheville-571
7. UNF-475
8. Gardner-Webb-464
9. Howard-335

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 third season, head coach, Dave Rollins is only the second head coach in program history, taking over on Sept. 1, 2016. Rollins has 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 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.

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.