FORT MYERS, Fla. – Two-time CCSA Coach of the Year Dave Rollins has announced the FGCU Swimming & Diving program's upcoming meet schedule for the 2020-21 season. The campaign, which is being fully released at this time, will kick off on Nov. 19 when the Eagles host the three-day FGCU Invitational.
 
"We are extremely excited to be able to have our competition schedule ready to go," Rollins said. "We know things can change at a moment's notice, but to have events for the team to look forward to makes a world of difference. Keeping competition local was important for us to help keep the team and university safe. In our sport, it's not about who you compete against, but what you do that matters most. We are deeply thankful to our administration, as well as President Martin for providing these opportunities for our student-athletes to represent the Green and Blue."
 
The FGCU Invitational is the only event that the Green & Blue will compete in during the fall semester. In addition to Nov. 19, participatory teams will also see action on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21. While the competition field has yet to be announced, details will be released as they are finalized.
 
After returning from winter break, the team is set to host Miami at 4 p.m. on Jan. 13. The Eagles are 8-4 all-time against the Hurricanes, which includes a decisive, 4-1 record at the FGCU Aquatics Center.
 
Following the dual against Miami, FGCU will hit the road for a pair of meets against CCSA foe UNF (Jan. 16), as well as FIU (Jan. 23). Over the course of the 12-year history between the two teams, the Eagles have outscored the Panthers 2,151.5 to 1,679.5 en route to earning a 11-3 edge.
 
The Eagles will then wrap up the regular season with a two-day meet against the Ospreys from Jan. 29-30 at home at the FGCU Aquatics Center. The Ospreys picked up a fifth-place finish at least season's CCSA Championship, coming in 705 points behind the second-place Eagles, who racked up 1403 points. FGCU is 13-0 all-time against its in-state conference opponent.
 
Members of four-time CCSA Diving Coach of the Year David Boyko's diving squad will have a solid chance to turn in an NCAA Zone score at the South Florida Diving Invite, which will be hosted by FIU on Feb. 5. This will mark the third-consecutive year that the Eagles will compete at the event.
 
The CCSA Championships will be held from Feb. 17-20 at a site that has yet to be determined. FGCU, which has won nine conference titles since 2009, will look to break into double digits by capturing its 10th crown.
 
Those on the verge of qualifying for the NCAA Championships will compete at the Last Chance Meet hosted by Florida from Feb. 27-28. The Eagles that punch their tickets will advance to the national championship in Greensboro, N.C. March 17-20. The NCAA Diving Championships will also be held in Greensboro and run from March 8-10.

Senior Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Kornel Secondari Grammar School) will look to qualify for the second-consecutive year after earning a bid to the 2020 NCAA Championship. Though she had the 10th-fastest time in the country in the 200 Breast, she was unable to have the chance to compete as the meet was cancelled due to COVID-19. Overall, the Eagles have been well-represented at the NCAA Championships, having sent student-athletes from 2012-18, as well as 2020.
 
Everything on the schedule is subject to change, including both dates/times and opponents. Information regarding attendance, the location of the CCSA Championships and the teams participating in the FGCU Invitational will be released as it is finalized.
 
To view the 2020-21 FGCU Swimming & Diving schedule, click here.
 
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.

SUSTAINING FLIGHT 
To help offset the financial impact of COVID-19, FGCU Athletics has launched the Sustaining Flight Fundraiser and Auction. The fundraising campaign will help mitigate operational revenue loss and the additional expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 protocols. All funds raised during the campaign will go to support areas that directly impact student-athletes.
 
In lieu of hosting the annual Night at the Nest gala this year, one of FGCU's most successful fundraising events, the department will be hosting a virtual, online auction from Monday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 4. Fans and supporters will be able to bid on exclusive memorabilia, trip packages, unique event experiences and more. For more information, visit www.fgcuathletics.com/sustainingflight.

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-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 (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. 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--