FORT MYERS, Fla. – After a six-week break, the FGCU swimming & diving team (6-4, 4-0 CCSA) will be back in action to host CCSA conference rival Liberty, Tulane and Illinois State at the FGCU Aquatics Complex this Saturday, Jan. 4. The meet is set to begin at Noon and there will be hot chocolate for fans that attend.
The competition will be scored as separate dual meets, meaning that each team will be scored individually against the other three opposing teams. In addition to the three aforementioned squads, Division III national champion Denison will be sending its divers to participate in the meet, but as non-scoring competitors.
The Green and Blue
Throughout the season, the Eagles have remained in the rankings on CollegeSwimming.com's Division I Mid-Major list. FGCU checks in at 31st, while none of this weekend's opponents register on any rankings list.
In addition to the team ranking, junior
Petra Halmai also ranks among the nation's top swimmers.
Halmai's (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Kornel Sondari Grammar School) 2:10.86 in the 200 Breast checks in at 28th nationally. She has already received CCSA Swimmer of the Week honors three times this season.
Freshman
Reese Wakefield has also been racking up CCSA weekly honors, as she has been tabbed Diver of the Week four times in her rookie campaign. That number of selections matches the CCSA freshman record. So far,
Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario/Bishop Macdonelle CHS) has won three titles in the 3m event and two on the 1m board.
This weekend will provide Eagle fans with a chance to watch one of the newest members of the Green and Blue squad,
Joely Merriman, compete.
Merriman (Shawnee Mission, KS/Arizona State) is a transfer from Arizona State and swims the backstroke and freestyle events.
The Flames
Liberty (6-2, 2-0 CCSA) will take on FGCU after facing off against No. 7 Florida in Gainesville on Friday, Jan. 3. In their final competition of 2019, the Flames earned a sixth-place finish at the TYR '85 Invite.
Liberty has won its last 17 consecutive CCSA dual meets, a streak that began after losing to the Eagles 137-125 on Jan. 7, 2017. In addition to the winning streak, the Flames are also coming off a season during which they claimed the second CCSA title in program history.
The team's performances this season have been well-balanced, as 15 different members have recorded at least one individual event victory this season. Overall, the group is led by junior Payton Keiner, a three-time CCSA champion, who leads the conference in both the 100 back (54.71) and 200 back (1:53.75).
The Green Wave
Tulane (0-5, 0-0 American) travels to Fort Myers in search of its first dual win of the 2019-20 season. Despite a rocky start to its dual meet slate, the Green Wave finished 2019 strong by earning a fourth-place finish at the Phill Hansel Invitational. At that same meet, the Eagles finished ninth.
Senior Olivia Johnson has had one of the team's strongest individual seasons, as she has clocked two qualifying standards for the 2020 Olympic Trials. Most recently, she swam a 2:16.99 in the 200 IM at the Toyota U.S. Open (Dec. 5).
The Red Birds
This weekend's meet will mark just the fifth time that Illinois State (1-1, 0-1 Valley) has competed during its 2019-20 slate. The Red Birds opened up their season with a decisive, 182-97 victory over Butler. After some competition against in-state foes Illinois and Southern Illinois, the team fell 181-119 in a meet against conference opponent Indiana State. The Red Birds wrapped up 2019 by finishing sixth at the Purdue Invite.
Junior Caroline Lecoeur has received Missouri Valley Conference Diver of the Week honors three times throughout this season. She has turned in multiple NCAA Diving Zone qualifying performances, as well as broken the school record on the 3m board.
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 30-16 (.652) 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 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--
