The #34 FGCU swimming and diving team (10-3, 3-0 CCSA) wraps up its regular season with a pair of dual meets this weekend. The Eagles will host FAU (1-7, 0-1 C-USA) for Senior Day Friday at 4 p.m. at the FGCU Aquatics Center before traveling across Alligator Alley to take on FIU (9-2, 1-0 C-USA) in the season finale in Miami Saturday at noon.
The Green and Blue will honor six seniors including Mikaila Buening (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community HS), Barbara Caraballo (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Indian River State/Newsome HS), Evita Leter (Paramaribo, Suriname/Doral Academy), Marcella Marinheiro (Davie, Fla./West Broward HS), Sandra Wilk (Lexington, Ky./Paul Laurence Dunbar HS) and Ashley Wright (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Indian River State/Lincoln Park Academy) prior to Friday’s meet against the Owls.
The FGCU senior class is responsible for 32 dual meet wins during their careers in Southwest Florida and have won a pair of CCSA Championships in 2015 and 2016. Senior Day festivities to recognize these young women for their contributions to the program will begin at approximately3:30 p.m.
SCOUTING FAU
The FAU women’s program has struggled to this point in the season as they have posted a 1-7 overall record and 0-1 mark against C-USA opponents. The Owls lone win of the season came by a 127-78 margin against Florida Tech, while the team has dropped hard-fought meets against UNF, UNC Asheville, Indian River State and Denver, among others.
ALL-TIME RESULTS VS. FAU
The Eagles and Owls have met 13 times since the inaugural season in 2007-08, and FGCU owns a 11-2 advantage against FAU. After dropping the first two dual meets against the Owls, the Green and Blue has won 11 straight meetings. A complete list of the all-time results in included below.
| 2015-16 | W, 219-60 |
| 2014-15 | W, 160-83 |
| 2013-14 | W, 161-135 |
| 2012-13 | W, 146-92 |
| 2011-12 | W, 179-119 |
| 2010-11 | W, 170-114 |
| W, 182-59 | |
| 2009-10 | W, 211-89 |
| W, 180-112 | |
| 2008-09 | W, N/A |
| W, 179-121 | |
| 2007-08 | L, 242-58 |
| L, 190-110 |
SCOUTING FIU
The two-time defending C-USA Champion Panthers enter the weekend with a 9-2 overall record and are 6-1 at home this season. After dropping its season-opening meet against Miami, 161-101, FIU went on to win seven straight and nine of its next 10 duals with its lone loss coming to 30 Yale. The Panthers, who finished second at the Louisville Invitational in November and most recently won the FIU Sprint Invite, are currently ranked #44 in CollegeSwimming.com’snational poll.
ALL-TIME RESULTS VS. FIU
FGCU and FIU have met on 10 occasions since the program’s inception in 2007-08, and the Eagles hold a 9-1 record in its all-time meetings with the Panthers. A complete list of the all-time results in included below.
| 2015-16 | W, 141-64 |
| 2014-15 | L, 133-167 |
| 2013-14 | W, 189-109 |
| 2012-13 | W, 168-130 |
| 2011-12 | W, 198-99 |
| 2010-11 | W, 176-112 |
| 2009-10 | W, 205.5-92.5 |
| 2008-09 | W, 148-84 |
| W, 187-57 | |
| 2007-08 | W, 165-74 |
WHAT’S AT STAKE
With a pair of wins this weekend, FGCU would tie the program record for dual meet victories in a single season for the second straight year. The Eagles have recorded 12 wins on a pair of other occasions as they went 12-1 a season ago and 12-3 in 2009-10. The team notched its 10th win for the fifth time in program history with a win against Miami last weekend. It marked just the third time in program history the Eagles have recorded double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons. The Green and Blue won 10 or more duals in three straight seasons from the 2009-10 campaign through the 2011-12 season.
LAST TIME OUT
After falling behind early in its dual meet against Miami, FGCU won 10 of the final 11 swimming events of the day and defeated the cross-state rival Hurricanes, 183-117, last Saturday at the FGCU Aquatics Center. The win marked FGCU’s sixth straight against Miami and seventh in the last eight meets against the Hurricanes.
FGCU newcomer Doris Eichhorn (Berlin, Germany/HTW Berlin) went on to win the CCSA Swimmer of the Week award after finishing first in both the 100 and 200 back and contributing to the Eagles win in the 200 medley relay. Additionally, Leter clocked a season-best time in the 100 breast as she touched the pads in 1:03.22, while Wright surpassed the NCAA Zone Diving Standard in the one-meter dive for the third time this season with a mark of 271.72.
AMONG THE NATION’S (AND WORLD’S) BEST
With the 2016-17 season nearing its end, FGCU has once again placed itself among some of the nation’s best with a trio of individual and relay times that rank among the top-30 in the NCAA this season. Individually, Christina Kaas Elmgreen (Charlottenlund, Denmark/Ordrup Gymnasium) turned in a school-record time of 1:57.17 in the 200 fly, which currently ranks as the 30th fastest in the country. Additionally, the Eagles program-record time of 1:29.73 in the 200 free relay registers as the 16th best while the 400 free relay time of 3:18.83 ranks 23rd.
Teijonsalo also turned in an impressive showing at the 2016 FINA World Championships (25m) in December, where she represented Finland and placed 15th in the world in the 100 IM with a time of 1:00.02. Her time was less than a second outside of finishing in the top-eight and qualifying for the finals. The sophomore standout placed 29th in the 50 fly, 34th in the 100 fly and 39th in the 100 back while also competing on a trio of Finnish relay teams that finished in the top-12 in the world.
Additionally, after representing her country in the Rio Olympics last summer, Leter was named the Suriname Swimming Sportswoman of the Year prior to the New Year. She was not only tabbed the top female swimmer in her home country, but was also one of three finalists for the Surinamese Female Athlete of the Year award.
CONFERENCE HONOR QUEENS
In 10 weeks of competition this season, the Green and Blue have taken home seven CCSA Swimmer of the Week honors while sweeping the weekly awards on six of those occasions with Wright earning the CCSA Diver of the Week award after each time competing.
Kaas Elmgreen has taken home the CCSA Swimmer of the Week honor on two occasions after most recently receiving the distinction following her record-breaking performance at the Georgia Tech Invite in November. Additionally, Katie Latham (Deal, Kent, UK/Sir Roger Manwood’s School), Elizabeth Zeiger (Cumberland, R.I./Homeschool), Wilk, Sommer Harris (Richmond, Va./St. Catherine’s School) and Eichhorn have also earned the honor this season.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS VS. FAU
| Events | FGCU Season-Best Times |
| 200 medley relay | Latham, Leter, Teijonsalo, Redding – 1:39.41 |
| 1650 free | Melissa Marinheiro – 17:24.92 |
| 200 free | Linda Shaw – 1:49.66 |
| 50 free | Katie Latham – 22.57 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 200 IM | Barbara Caraballo – 2:00.07 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 3m dive | Ashley Wright – 284.15 (NCAA) |
| 100 fly | Christina Kaas Elmgreen – 53.83 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 100 free | Katie Latham – 49.10 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 100 back | Katie Latham – 54.45 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 500 free | Linda Shaw – 4:50.45 |
| 1m dive | Ashley Wright – 282.95 (NCAA) |
| 400 IM (time trial) | Elizabeth Zeiger – 4:18.28 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 100 breast | Evita Leter – 1:03.22 |
| 200 free relay | Latham, Redding, Burdge, Teijonsalo – 1:29.73 (NCAA provisional) |
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS VS. FIU
| 200 medley relay | Latham, Leter, Teijonsalo, Redding – 1:39.41 |
| 1000 free | Elizabeth Zeiger – 10:09.92 |
| 200 free | Linda Shaw – 1:49.66 |
| 100 back | Katie Latham – 54.45 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 100 breast | Evita Leter – 1:03.22 |
| 200 fly | Christina Kaas Elmgreen – 1:57.17 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 50 free | Katie Latham – 22.57 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 3m dive | Ashley Wright – 284.15 (NCAA) |
| 100 free | Katie Latham – 49.10 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 200 back | Barbara Caraballo – 1:58.04 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 200 breast | Vanessa Rivas – 2:18.26 |
| 500 free | Linda Shaw – 4:50.45 |
| 100 fly | Christina Kaas Elmgreen – 53.83 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 1m dive | Ashley Wright – 282.95 (NCAA) |
| 200 IM | Barbara Caraballo – 2:00.07 (NCAA ‘B’) |
| 400 free relay | Latham, Burdge, Redding, Teijonsalo – 3:18.63 |
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-date coverage of FGCU women’s swimming and diving, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_WSWIM and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available.
HEAD COACH DAVE ROLLINS
First-year head coach Dave Rollins became the program’s second head coach in program history on Sept. 1, 2016. Most recently the associate head men’s swimming coach at The Ohio State University, Rollins brings 10 years of coaching experience at the club, high school and collegiate levels. A standout collegiate athlete in his own right, Rollins was a nine-time NCAA All-American and national champion as a member of the University of Arizona swimming & diving team from 2002-06.
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year 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.
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