FGCU Announces 2017-18 Schedule, Highlighted By 5 Home Meets

Highlighted by five home meets, the Green and Blue will go toe-to-toe with eight teams that registered points at the 2017 NCAA Championships, including three that finished in the top-25.

“This season will be a very good challenge for us, which is what we were looking for in our schedule,” Rollins said. “We want to help our student-athletes compete at the highest level by continuing to raise of level of competition. We will compete against some teams for the first time and match up with some familiar opponents. We will also get the chance to race teams from all five Power Five conference and test ourselves against some of the best teams in the country. We are looking forward to getting this season started.”

Prior to the regular season, fans will have a couple of chances to get a sneak peek of the 2017-18 Eagles as the team hosts the FGCU Pentathlon on Friday, Sept. 22 as well as the Green and Blue Scrimmage on Saturday, Sept. 30 at the FGCU Aquatics Center.

The Eagles dive into the regular season with a dual meet against Power-Five foe Rutgers fromOct. 6-7 at the FGCU Aquatics Center. A season ago, the Scarlet Knights turned in points at the NCAA Championships, and the two teams have become familiar with each other after competing at each of the last two FGCU Classics.

FGCU then spends an extended amount of time away from home as the team travels to Jacksonville, Fla., for a tri-meet against UNF and Campbell on Saturday, Oct. 21 before heading to Gainesville, Fla., for a dual against the Gators on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Capping off the road schedule for the fall, the Green and Blue head to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the three-day Ohio State Invitational from Nov. 17-19. The teams set to compete in the invitation include Ohio State, N.C. State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Washington State, Marshall and Yale. N.C. State placed seventh in the country a season ago, while Ohio State finished 19th. Additionally, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame both registered points at the NCAA Championships, while Marshall sent an individual to compete.

The Eagles return to the familiar FGCU Aquatics Center to close out the fall and begin the spring with three straight home meets. FGCU takes on Bowling Green and Northwestern, who finished 21st in the country a season ago, in a tri-meet on Sunday, Dec. 17 before a two-day dual against Toledo from Dec. 20-21 concludes the 2017 portion of the schedule.

Following the holiday break, FGCU begins the spring portion of the schedule with a dual against CCSA rival Liberty on Saturday, Jan. 6. The two teams have finished first and second at the CCSA Championships in each of the last nine seasons.

A pair of duals against top-40 teams from a season ago cap off the regular season as FGCU takes on Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 20 and hosts defending C-USA Champion FIU for Senior Day seven days later.

The Eagles quest for its ninth conference championship since 2009 commences at the CCSA Championships in Athens, Ga., from Feb. 14-17.

From there, those on the brink of qualifying for the NCAA Championships will compete in the Last Chance Meet hosted by Florida from Feb. 22-24, and those able to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships will return to Columbus, Ohio, for the national championships fromMar. 14-17.

Additionally, the Eagles will attempt to send a member of the diving team to the NCAA Zone Diving Championships for the second straight season. The event will take place from Mar. 8-10at a site that is yet to be determined.

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
Entering his second season at the helm of the Green and Blue, Dave Rollins became the FGCU head coach on Sept. 1, 2016. In his first year with the program, Rollins led the Eagles to its eighth CCSA Championship in a span of nine years and guided the Eagles 200 free relay team to All-American honors. FGCU registered points at the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight season and ultimately turned in its third-best finish all-time (T-41st). Prior to FGCU, Rollins was the associate head men’s swimming coach at The Ohio State University and brought 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.

Press Release courtesy of FGCU Athletics.