KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The FGCU swimming & diving team won bronze in the 200 medley relay to highlight Wednesday's day one of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Championships.

"Very solid start to the meet for us," said FGCU head swimming & diving coach Dave Rollins. "For who we are as a team this year, we are performing very well. We have seen new Eagles making their first finals, and their first podiums. This championship is the fastest it's ever been. It's incredible to see athletes swim their lifetime best times and place 10 or more places lower than they have before. However, we are also competing very well. We had a great night to complement a solid morning.

"It's a long four days, and many more exciting performances to come. We are looking forward to seeing our divers compete (Thursday), as well."

The relay squad of senior Lucija Sulenta (Zagreb, Croatia/Gimnazija i ekonomska skola Benedikta Kotruljevica), senior Jenna Gwinn (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales Academy/UMBC), freshman Cameron Kuriger (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy HS) and senior Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla./Cutler Bay Senior High) captured the first medal of the CCSA's for the Eagles. Their time 1:39.74 edged James Madison for third and the final spot on the podium.

Liberty took the gold in the event at 1:38.99, while Queens (N.C.) took second at 1:39.30.

In other action, eight different Eagles advanced to their respective finals Wednesday in the 500 free, the 200 IM, and the 50 free.

Jerew posted the eighth-fastest 50 free time in program history during the finals, flying at a 22.90 pace.

Two other Eagles advanced to the 50 free finals -- as freshman Mia Burke (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh School) posted a 15th-place performance, and senior Kaja Reinhardt (Herdecke, Germany/Helene-Lange-Gymnasium) Dortmund followed with a 17th-place effort.

In the 200 IM, senior Anna Hogan (Louisville,Ky./DuPont Manual HS) took eighth (2:05.90), Kuriger placed 17th (2:04.39), and junior Rebecca Winn (Warwick, United Kingdom/The Kingsley School) finished 19th (2:05.41). 

Junior Emma Bjoernholdt (Bagsvaerd, Denmark/Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium/St. Leo University) finished 11th (4:55.57) to lead all Eagles in the 500 free. Teammate and junior Izabela Zekuciova (Drmoul, Czech Republic/North Texas) advanced to the finals as well after her prelim swim, placing 22nd at 5:02.43.

FGCU is fifth in the team standings with 151 points. Queens (N.C.) leads the CSSA's with 315 total points. Day two of the championship begins Thursday with prelims at 10 a.m., and finals to follow at 6 p.m. Both the prelims and finals will be streamed on ESPN+.

CCSA Swimming & Diving Championship Standings
1 Queens (N.C.): 315
2 Liberty: 256
3 James Madison: 255
4 UNC Asheville: 183
5 FGCU: 151
6 Campbell: 120
7 Old Dominion: 105
8 Georgia Southern: 70
9 Gardner-Webb: 60
10 North Florida: 54
11 Bellarmine: 37

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 40-30-1 (.563) dual-meet record, which includes a 17-3 (.850) 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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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!
 
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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 93 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 46 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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