FORT MYERS, Fla. – After a decisive victory over Stony Brook last weekend, the FGCU swimming & diving team is now getting ready to hit the road for a pair of meets at FAU and Miami. The Eagles will kick off the in-state trip against the Owls at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 at the FAU Aquatic Center. The following day, the Hurricanes will host FGCU at the Norman Whitten Pool at Noon.
The duals will conclude the road slate for the Green and Blue swimmers, while the divers are still scheduled for one more road competition on Friday, Feb. 7 at the South Florida Diving Invite.
FGCU (8-5-1, 4-1 CCSA) is 10-0 all-time against FAU and holds an 8-3 edge over Miami. Freshman
Reese Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario), who matched the CCSA single-season record by receiving her sixth Diver of the Week honor earlier this week, will likely provide the team with key points throughout the weekend. The diver has earned five wins on the 3m board and four on the 1m board.
The Eagles will also look to junior
Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary) to contribute points throughout the sunshine state circuit. Halmai has already turned in NCAA B Cut times in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events as well as the 400 IM this season and has tallied numerous wins in both individual events and relays.
FAU (2-2, 0-0 C-USA) is coming off a whopping 222-77 victory over SUNY Geneseo last weekend. The Owls earned first-place finishes in 15 of the 16 events, taking home all but the 200 Breast. Senior Spence Atkins and junior Abby Marshall each finished the dual with a pair of top individual finishes, as well as relay wins.
Miami (2-3, 1-0 ACC) will look to even up its win percentage this weekend, as the Hurricanes currently sit at .400 on the season. While the Hurricanes have won the last two duals against the Eagles, FGCU owns a 4-0 mark at the Norman Whitten Pool. Miami is currently on a two-meet winning streak, as the team has picked up victories over Illinois (228-217) and Boston College (159-140).
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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 32-17-1 (.755) dual meet record, which includes an 11-2 (.846) 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 80 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.
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