COLUMBIA, S.C./KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The FGCU swimming and diving team was back in action on Thursday as the swimmers competed on day two of the Gamecock Invitational while the divers kicked off the Tennessee Invitational.
"Exciting day for the Eagles," said head coach
Dave Rollins. "Cam [Kuriger] and Jenna [Gwinn] earning all-time program top 10 times is amazing and great to see. We also had some strong relays and a handful of new lifetime best times, which is exciting at this point. We are taking advantage of our opportunities to race and finding ways to improve as we move the season forward."
The night in South Carolina got started with the Eagles setting the bar for the CCSA in the 200 free relay as
Lucija Sulenta (Zagreb, Croatia/Gimnazija I Ekonomska Skola Benedikta Kotruljevica),
Jenna Gwinn (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales Academy/UMBC),
Cameron Kuriger (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy HS), and
Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla./Cutler Bay Senior High) swam a time of 1:41.17, ahead of the other CCSA schools in the meet as well as Vanderbilt.
In the 400 IM,
Sara Niepelova (Piestany, Slovakia/Gymnazium Pierra de Coubertina/ECU) picked up nine points for the Eagles with a 12
th place finish in a time of 4:27.35.
Rebecca Winn (Warwick, United Kingdom/The Kingsley School) and
Emma Bjoernholdt (Bagsvaerd, Denmark/Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium/St. Leo University) also collected points for FGCU as they finished 16
th (4:29.63) and 19
th (4:34.51), respectively.
In the 100 fly, Kuriger continued her strong start to her freshman season. After setting a CCSA-best time in the prelims, she topped it in the finals by swimming a time of 53.94, the ninth-fastest in school history.
Anna Hogan (Louisville, Ky./Dupont Manual HS) was the top Eagle in 200 free as she finished 10
th with a time of 1:52.31.
Mia Burke (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh School) tacked on a few more points for the Eagles as she finished 18
th with a time of 1:53.49.
In the 100 breast, Gwinn finished fifth in the finals with a time of 1:02.87 after swimming 1:02.40 in the morning prelim session, the eighth-fastest time in program history. Three other Eagles placed in the top 20 in the event with Jerew finishing 11
th (1:03.90),
Emily Merton (Jacksonville, Fla./Robert E. Lee HS) finishing 13
th (1:04.47) and Hogan finishing 20
th (1:06.87).
The 100 back was led by Sulenta, who touched sixth with a time of 55.73, and
Emma Hixenbaugh (Louisville, Ky./Ballard HS), who touched seventh at 55.75.
Liv Hettinger (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo HS) finished 18
th with a time of 57.54.
In the 800 relay to end the night, the Eagles once again set a top conference time as
Dani D'Ambrosio (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough),
Kaja Reinhardt (Herdecke, Germany Helene-Lange-Gymnasium Dortmund), Burke, and Hogan swam a time of 7:37.85 to finish sixth.
The Eagles 'B' 800 free relay team – Bjoernholdt,
Michaela Sizemore (Fredericksburg, Va. Stafford Senior High School), Kuriger, and Hixenbaugh – were right behind the 'A' squad as they finished seventh with a time of 7:38.22.
Team Scores
South Carolina, 628
UNC Wilmington, 391
Vanderbilt, 271
FGCU, 209
Georgia Southern, 136
UNF, 116
Gardner-Webb, 116
Over in Knoxville at the Tennessee Diving Invite, the divers made their season debuts on the 3-meter.
Reese Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Bishop Macdonelle CHS) led the Green and Blue with a total score of 221.10.
Delaney Nelson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) was next best on the Eagles with a score 212.80 while newcomers
Sydney Joiner (San Antonio, Texas/Winston Churchill HS) and
Marissa Santos (St. Petersburg, Fla./Boca Ciega HS/Georgia Southern) had scores of 198.05 and 198.00, respectively.
The Eagles will return to the pool tomorrow for day three of the Gamecock Invitational with the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, and 400 free relay on the schedule while the divers will be on the 1-meter.
Eagles Entering CCSA Top 10
200 Medley Relay
1:41.17, 1st
400 IM
Sara Niepelova – 4:27.35, 3rd
Rebecca Winn – 4:29.63, 6
th
100 Fly
Cameron Kuriger – 53.94, 1st
200 Free
Anna Hogan – 1:52.28, 6
th
Dani D'Ambrosio – 1:52.68, 7
th
Mia Burke – 1:52.96, 10
th
100 Breast
Jenna Gwinn – 1:02.40, 2
nd
Hailey Jerew – 1:03.90, 7
th
Emily Merton – 1:04.47, 8
th
100 Back
Lucija Sulenta – 55.73, 4
th
Emma Hixenbaugh – 55.75, 5
th
800 Free Relay
7:37.85, 1st
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 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 38-26-1 (.592) dual meet record, which includes a 16-2 (.889) 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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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.
