ATHENS, GA – Freshmen Reese Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario/Bishop MacDonelle CHS) and Delaney Nelson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) capped off a two-day stint at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championship, where they represented the FGCU swimming & diving team. The meet, which took place on Monday and Tuesday in Athens, GA, featured the toughest competition that the rookie pair has faced in its inaugural season wearing the Green and Blue.

"As freshmen, it's a great accomplishment to qualify for this meet," diving coach David Boyko said. "It is unlike any other meet of the year. All of the best divers in the region at one place competing for a handful of spots at nationals. It's also the longest meet of the year. With 55 divers in the event, prelims alone lasted almost three hours. That is much different than our meets, which last 20-30 minutes total. It takes a completely different mindset to stay focused at zones. Both Reese and Delaney gained valuable experience that will set them up to do better next year. We're already excited to start training again."

The first day of competition saw the freshmen compete on the 1m board. Wakefield scored a 225.00, good for 36th place overall, and was one of just four non-Power 5 student-athletes to crack the top 40. In the same event, Nelson tallied 194.45 en route to earning a 52nd-place finish.

Wakefield was the only diver to represent the Eagles on the second day of competition, as she participated in the 3m event. She nearly matched her score from the day before, posting a 225.75 on the higher board. At the end of the day, her total landed her in 42nd place overall and put her ahead of divers from Georgia Tech and East Carolina. Additionally, Wakefield outscored all other competitors from the CCSA on the 3m board.

The completion of the meet marks the end of the season for the freshmen, who both collected CCSA weekly honors throughout the season. Nelson was selected once, while Wakefield earned a record-setting seven selections. Additionally, Wakefield captured the 3m title at this year's CCSA Championship and was named Diver of the Meet.

Though the diving season is over, the team will still be represented in the postseason by junior Petra Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Kornel Secondari Grammar School), who is set to compete at the 2020 NCAA Championships March 18-21. Halmai secured her spot in the 200 Breast after swimming a record-setting 2:07.38 at the CCSA Conference Championship. Heading into the event, she ranks 10th in the nation, the highest that any FGCU swimmer has ranked heading into the national championship.

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 81 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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