FIU Sweeps FAU in Both Teams’ Final Showdown before C-USAs

FIU vs. FAU

FINAL TEAM SCORES

The women of Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University had a little taste of the upcoming Conference USA Championships to come February 22nd, with a matchup between the two in-conference teams. Two-time defending C-USA champion FIU came away victorious with a full event sweep, 185-106.

Many of the Panthers’ individual event victories came by huge margins. Kyna Pereira took the 1000 free by nine seconds in 10:24.94 and the 500 free by nearly five seconds with 5:05.94, Naomi Ruele won the 100 back by almost three seconds with 56.36, Letizia Bertelli won the 100 fly by three-and-a-half seconds with 55.44, Skye Carey won the 200 IM by four seconds in 2:12.39, and Carita Luukkanen scored the fastest 200 breast by eight seconds.

PRESS RELEASE – FIU

MIAMI (Feb. 4, 2017) – Entering the day with 28-10 following the diving portion on the meet on Thursday, the FIU swimming and diving team (10-3) defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls, 185-106, on Saturday afternoon from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.

Prior to the meet, the squad’s six seniors were recognized. Jennifer Alfani, Jessica Chadwick, Jennifer Deist, Anna Jonsson, Lily Kaufmann and Karin Tomeckova were honored as Saturday marked the final home meet of their FIU careers.

With the win, FIU finishes the 2016-17 regular season with a 10-3 mark in dual meets.

The Panthers won all 14 events on the day to give FIU its seventh home victory of the year.

FIU got things started, winning the 200 Medley Relay as the team of Alfani, Taylor Grabenhorst, Letizia Bertelli and Jonsson recorded the top time of 1:45.27. The Panthers also took second in the event as Carita Luukkanen, Alexa Bryant, Marie Lauridsen and Deist posted a 1:48.39.

Kyna Pereira won the 1000 Free – her sixth first-place finish in the event this season. Pereira registered a 10:24.94, nearly 10 seconds faster than the second-place swimmer. In the 200 Free, Skye Carey and Berta Triola place first and second, respectively. Carey notched a 1:53.22, while Triola recorded a 1:55.06. The Panthers also took the top two spots in the 100 Back as Naomi Ruele scored a 56.36 to finish first and Luukkanen claimed second with a time of 59.10.

Grabenhorst registered the meet’s top time in the 100 Breast, posting a 1:05.68. Megan Bowen won the 200 Fly with a time of 2:10.16 followed by Ally Mayhew, who notched a 2:11.32. Bowne also claimed the top spot in the 100 Free with a time of 52.10. In the 50 Free, Alfani swam a 24.40 for the first-place finish and Luukkanen took first in the 200 Back, registering a time of 2:07.45.

Pereira was dominant in the 500 Free (5:05.94), winning the event by nearly five seconds for her for her second first-place finish of the meet. In the 100 Fly, Bertelli recorded the fastest time by five seconds with a 55.44, while in the 200 IM, Carey won the event by four second with a 2:12.39.

The Panthers closed out the meet in the same fashion in which it began, taking first in 200 Free Relay. The team of Ruele, Alfani, Jonsson and Deist scored a 1:36.61 for the first-place finish.

On Thursday, FIU diving topped the Owls, 28-10, from Miami-Dade College.

The Panthers were led by Rebecca Quesnel, who posted a season-best score of 307.425 in the 1-meter program. The Burlington, Ontario, native followed that performance with a school-record 325.35 on the platform. Both scores were NCAA Zone B qualifying scores.

FIU’s Brittany Haskell placed third in both events, scoring a 281.7 (1-meter) and a 216.16 (platform). Her 1-meter score was good enough to qualify for NCAA Zone B diving.

The Panthers will now turn their attention to the Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. The back-to-back league champs will look for their third-straight crown beginning Feb. 22.

PRESS RELEASE – FAU

Florida Atlantic University women’s swimming and diving ended the regular season at FIU where they picked up 11 top-two finishes and freshman diver Victoria Moretti set a new freshman record in the 1-meter.

Coach’s Quote
“Our Lady Owls were able to swim their races very well and were able to apply the knowledge and strategies that they have been learning throughout the year,” said Head Swim and Dive Coach Lara Preacco. “A special shout out to Victoria (Moretti), our newest addition to the team, for setting another school record. I can’t wait to see all our women perform exceptional races and dives at Conference Championships in a few weeks.”

Making A Splash

Women

  • In another impressive outing, Moretti took second in both the 1-meter (290.025) and 3-meter (249.23) setting a new FAU freshman record in the former.
  • In typical fashion, Danielle Zacharias had a strong swim in the 1000-yard freestyle taking second in 10:43.09. In the same event, fellow freshman Rebecca Battles set a lifetime best with a time of 11:03.31.
  • Sharon Kok swam well in her signature events, picking up third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.55) and second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:10.28)
  • Megan Reuter took third in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:02.21. In the very next event, senior Hannah Roper claimed second-place in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.33).
  • Also earning second place was Lydia Musleh in the 50-yard freestyle (25.28). Spring newcomer Devon Mark then swam a 54.04 to take second in the 100-yard freestyle.
  • Senior Bridget Belcik ended her regular season career on a high note with a 2:16.26 in the 200-yard IM to earn second place.
  • The Panthers took the meet with a score of 185 to the Owls’ 106.

Up Next

The men are on deck first and will compete in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Championships in Athens, Georgia from February 15 through February 18. The women will then compete at Conference USA Championships on Feb. 22-25 in Atlanta.

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About Hannah Hecht

Hannah Hecht

Hannah Hecht grew up in Kansas and spent most of her childhood trying to convince coaches to let her swim backstroke in freestyle sets. She took her passion to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa and swam at NAIA Nationals all four years. After graduating in 2015, she moved to …

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