FORT MYERS, Fla. –The FGCU swimming & diving team (8-8-1, 4-1 CCSA) dropped a 201-95 decision to FIU (6-3, 0-0 C-USA) on Saturday afternoon at the FGCU Aquatics Complex. The Eagles picked up first-place finishes in three of the meet's 16 events.

Prior to the meet, which marked the Eagles' last time competing at the Nest this season, head coach Dave Rollins and staff honored the six members of the class of 2020. Seniors Cassidy Fry (Oakwood, Ohio), Emily Glinecke (Pottstown, Pa.), Madison Jean (Parrish, Fla.), Natalie Keffer (San Gabriel, Calif.), Elizabeth White (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Elizabeth Zeiger (Cumberland, R.I.) have been responsible for 32 dual-meet wins, a pair of CCSA titles and NCAA team appearance during their careers with the Green and Blue.

"It's a special day when you get to celebrate the careers of your senior class," Rollins said. "For Liz (Zeiger) to be able to complete her career at home with a win was fantastic and for our seniors to compete in a senior-only relay was really special. Congratulations to Tori (Czarnecka) on going undefeated in the 50 free in our pool this season, Delaney (Nelson) on earning a new personal best on the 3m board and Petra (Halmai) swimming her fastest 200 Breast in a practice suit."

Sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka (Lublin, Poland) was the first of the Eagles to earn a podium finish during the meet, earning the win in the 50 Free. Three events later, junior Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary) added a victory in the 200 Breast with a time of 2:16.46, which stands as a three-second season best as well as an NCAA B Cut time. Zeiger accounted for the team's only other first-place finish of the day, as she took home the 500 Free with a time of 5:06.95.

Freshman Julia Rodriguez (Gainesville, Fla.) and sophomore Joely Merriman (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) also had strong performances in today's meet, as they each racked up points in two events. Rodriguez finished second in the 200 Back, closely followed by Merriman, and placed fourth in the 200 Fly. Merriman also tallied points in the 50 Free, finishing just behind freshman Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla.) in fourth place.

On the boards, freshmen Reese Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario) and Delaney Nelson (Cincinnati, Ohio) combined for nine points. Wakefield finished third in both the 3m and 1m events, while Nelson finished fourth in the 3m and fifth in the 1m.

The senior trio of Fry, White and Zeiger accounted for 25 of the team's 95 points. Zeiger led the way, finishing the day with 15 points after placing first in the 500 Free, third in the 200 Free and third in the 200 IM. Fry's seven points came from third-place finishes in both the 200-yard medley relay and the 200 Fly, as well as a fourth-place finish in the 100 Fly. White, who placed fourth in the 200 Breast and fifth in the 100 Breast, rounded out the senior scoring with three points.

"I feel really encouraged by our improvements over the last few weeks and our attention to detail is coming around," Rollins added. "Looking at how we approach the semester and focus on peak performances at the CCSA Championships, compared to how we swam last year at this time, is very exciting. We are looking forward to getting some much-needed rest over these next few weeks and heading up to Knoxville ready to rock. Thank you to our seniors and their families for their commitment and dedication. They will truly be missed."

The only non-championship competition remaining on the docket is the South Florida Diving Invite, which is set to take place on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center. The Eagles will be represented by five divers at the event, which will feature the best-of-the-best from FGCU, FAU and FIU.

The rest of the team will now focus its efforts on preparing for the CCSA Championships, which are set to be held from Feb. 19-22 at the Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville. FGCU will look the reclaim its spot at the top of the conference, having won nine of the past 11 titles.

For complete coverage of FGCU swimming & diving, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@FGCU_WSwim), Instagram (@FGCU_WSwimDive) and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU swimming & diving or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

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 32-20-1 (.615) 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.

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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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