FORT MYERS, Fla. - FGCU swimming and diving (4-1, 2-1 CCSA) recorded a 162-124 non-conference victory Thursday over Eastern Michigan at the Lee County/FGCU Aquatics Center.

The Eagles won 10 of the 16 events around the pool, capturing a total of 10 gold medals. FGCU swept the 100-yard backstroke, the 1-meter diving and 3-meter diving events.

"Happy to start the year with a win for FGCU," said FGCU head swimming and diving coach Dave Rollins. "We can see the fatigue from the type of training we are in, but we also executed our races well. Very proud of their efforts and support for one another. As long as we continue to refine our details, and give our best efforts each day, we will see some truly special performances come championship time."

Individually, Emma Hixenbaugh (Louisville, Ky. Ballard HS), Jenna Gwinn (Baltimore, Md. Mount de Sales Academy UMBC) and Cameron Kuriger (Columbus, Ohio Olentangy HS) won two events each.

Hixenbaugh touched first in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. The junior won the 100 by .44 one hundredths of a second (58.32) and put together a 2:05.74 effort in the 200 to pace the pool by nearly three seconds. Her top 200-yard breaststroke mark of 1:58.90 this season continues to lead the CCSA.

Kuriger won gold in the two butterfly showings, the 100 and 200, to give her a team-leading five gold medals on the season. Kuriger finished three seconds ahead of any opponent with a flash of 2:07.75 in the 200. Entering Thursday, the freshman held the top 100 and 200 fly times across the CCSA.

Gwinn dominated the breaststroke action. Gwinn's 2:25.94 splash in the pool during the 200 was good enough for the top spot on the podium. In the 100, the junior took home another gold for FGCU at 1.04.96.

The relay squad of Lucija Sulenta (Zagreb, Croatia Gimnazija i ekonomska skola Benedikta Kotruljevica), Gwinn, Kuriger and Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla. Cutler Bay Senior High) placed first in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:47.34. Individually, Jerew also finished first in the 50-yard freestyle event (24.25).

On the boards, Kylie Palian (Aurora, Ohio Aurora HS) and Sydney Joiner (San Antonio, Texas Winston Churchill HS) respectively won the 3-meter and 1-meter diving. FGCU ended Thursday's action with eight silvers and nine bronze medal winners to soar to victory.

The Green & Blue will hit the road for visiting waters at Miami on Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. in Coral Gables, Fla.

TOP TIMES IN THE CCSA:
100 Fly
Cameron Kuriger - 53.94

200 Fly
Cameron Kuriger - 1:59.63

200 Back
Emma Hixenbaugh - 1:58.90

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 39-27-1 (.582) 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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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 (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/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 https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.  

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 and No. 25 in 2022-23) 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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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