CORAL GABLES, Fla. – While finishing off its in-state road trip, the FGCU swimming & diving team came out on the losing side of a 160-82 battle against the Miami Hurricanes at the Norman Whitten Pool on Saturday afternoon. Though the Hurricanes earned today's victory, the Eagles (8-7-1, 4-1 CCSA) still hold an 8-4 all-time advantage over Miami.

The 'Canes (3-3, 1-0 ACC) started the meet hot, claiming first-place finishes in the opening four events until sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka (Lublin, Poland) ended the streak with a win in the 50 Free. Junior Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary) was the only other member of the team that won an individual event, as she took home the 200 Breast. Overall, the duo accounted for over 26 of the team's 82 points.

"I'm definitely encouraged with how the team was able to turn its mental focus around between yesterday and today," head coach Dave Rollins said. "You always want to make sure you do everything you can to bring home a win for the Green and Blue and the way they approached their races and dives definitely gave us a better chance than yesterday. We are starting to see some pieces come together with race strategy and attention to detail. Petra (Halmai) swam a very solid 200 Breast, Liz (Zeiger) continues to compete very well in the 200 Back and Meg (Schienvar) was a pleasant surprise anchoring our freestyle relay. Tori (Czarnecka) also did a great job getting her hand on the wall first in the 50, which was a great way to bounce back from yesterday. She continues to be a rock for our team."

Throughout today's meet, FGCU was also led by a handful of second-place finishes that were tallied by freshman Hannah VanDress (Cape Coral, Fla.) and senior Elizabeth Zeiger (Cumberland, R.I.). VanDress' time of 10:42.13 in the 1000-yard freestyle was good for second, while Zeiger beat Miami's Una Forsythe by almost four full seconds to finish second in the 200 IM. Freshman Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla.) also added a high individual finish, tying for third in the 50 Free.

For the first time in her rookie campaign, freshman Delaney Nelson (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the Eagles on both the 1m and 3m boards. Nelson's team-high 256.43 on the 1m was good for third and her 242.10 in the 3m event, another team-best score, landed her in fourth.

"Delaney was huge on the 1m today," Rollins added. "She had to compete against people who represent their countries in the Olympics and past NCAA qualifiers, which is not easy. She, and the rest of our divers, did a fantastic job. We have a quick turn-around back home before we honor our graduating seniors next week, which will be a very special afternoon."

The Eagles will return to the Nest next Saturday (Jan. 25) to host FIU on Senior Day at the FGCU Aquatics Complex. Competition against the Panthers is slated for a Noon start and will be preceded by a ceremony in which Rollins and his staff will honor the six members of this year's graduating class.

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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 32-19-1 (.627) 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.

--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--