FORT MYERS, Fla. - FGCU swimming and diving (3-1, 2-1 CCSA) suffered its first dual meet loss of the season, 148-95, at the hands of UNC Asheville (5-0, 3-0 CCSA) on Tuesday at the FGCU/Lee County Aquatics Complex.

"Definitely not the result we wanted today, and we can look at numerous reasons why," said FGCU swimming and diving head coach Dave Rollins. "However, the team improved in many areas over our last two competitions. Their commitment to their race strategy and details were great. We continue to see the impact our newest Eagles are having on our program, which is very encouraging for the future. We also had quite a few close races that we came away with the faster touch. Something we have to make sure we continue moving forward. Their support and positive mindset continue to be the driving force of our program.

"Congratulations to Reese, Cam and Jenna on earning individual wins today. Always exciting to celebrate an Eagle win. We are looking forward to celebrating the holidays and getting right back to work!"

The Eagles started strong, winning both gold and silver in 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Reese Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Bishop Macdonelle HS) secured the gold in both events with season best performances as teammate as Delaney Nelson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) took home two silver medals.

Wakefield posted a 588.90 score in the 3-meter event and followed that up with a 251.70 in the 1-meter dive, earning 18 points toward the Eagles' cause and improving upon the top scores in all of the CCSA. Nelson added eight points with 233.03 (3-meter) and 226.50 (1-meter) final scores.

FGCU would only capture two more golds throughout the course meet. The Eagles won the 100-yard fly (event 6) and the 100-yard breast (event ten) to give the Green & Blue a total of four golds on the day.

UNCA was victorious in nine of the 13 events Tuesday. In fact, the Bulldogs swept the 50-yard freestyle. UNCA also finished one-and-two in the 200-yard IM, the 100-yard free, and in the 200-yard free relay.

Jenna Gwinn (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) raced to the wall first for FGCU in the 100-yard breast with a time of 1:05.29, her second gold of the season. Cameron Kuriger (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy HS) led the field to place first in the 100-yard fly at 57.36. Kuriger now leads all Eagles in total golds won this season with three.

FGCU accumulated seven silver medals and three bronzes as well.

A pair of Eagles posted podium finishes in the 100-yard back event. Lucija Sulenta (Zagreb, Croatia/Gimnazija i ekonomska skola Benedikta Kotruljevica) placed second with a time of 58.67, while Emma Hixenbaugh (Louisville, Ky./Hillsborough HS) finished close behind in third at 59.81.

Izabela Zekuciova (Drmoul, Czech Republic/North Texas), Mia Burke (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh School), Emma Bjoernholdt (Bagsvaerd, Denmark/Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium/St. Leo University) each closed in second in their respective events. The 200-yard medley relay team of Sulenta, Gwinn, Kuriger and Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla./Cutler Bay Senior High) pieced together a second-place swim of 1:45.50.

FGCU will dive back into the pool in 2023, as the Eagles are slated to host Eastern Michigan on Feb. 5 starting at 3 p.m. at the FGCU/Lee County Aquatics Complex.

Eagles in 2022-23 CCSA Top-10
50 Free
Hailey Jerew - 23.09, 4th

100 Yard Butterfly 
Cameron Kuriger - 53.94, 1st

100 Yard Backstroke
Lucija Sulenta - 55.40, 7th
Emma Hixenbaugh - 55.49, 8th

100 Yard Breast
Jenna Gwinn - 1:02.40, 4th

200 Yard IM
Cameron Kuriger - 2:04.21, 9th

200 Yard Medley Relay
FGCU - 1:41.17, 2nd

1M Diving
Reese Wakefield - 251.70, 1st
Delaney Nelson - 226.50, 2nd

3M Diving
Reese Wakefield - 221.10, 1st
Delaney Nelson - 233.03, 2nd

For complete coverage of FGCU swimming & diving, follow the Eagles on Twitter (@FGCU_WSwimDive), Instagram (@FGCU_WSwimDive) and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCUswimming & 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 38-27-1 (.576) dual meet record, which includes a 16-3 (.842) mark against CCSA opponents, in his seventh season. Rollins guided FGCU to back-to-back CCSA titles (2017, 2018), marking the ninth championship in 10 years before winning the 10th championship in program history in 2021. 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 94 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 47 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 26 consecutive semesters. The past six semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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.
 
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