UNC Asheville vs FGCU (Women)
- Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022
- Fort Myers, Fla.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
- Team Score: UNC Asheville 148, FGCU 95
Courtesy: UNCA Athletics
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The UNC Asheville swimming & diving team defeated Florida Gulf Coast by a score of 148-95 in its final competition of the calendar year on Tuesday. The victory, which is Asheville’s first-ever over the Eagles, improves the Bulldogs’ record to 5-0 on the 2022-23 season.
“Today’s win was a milestone for this program,” said UNC Asheville Head Coach Elizabeth Lykins. “After two weeks of tough training, this team really stepped up and competed! On the boards, the ladies completed new dives and earned some PR’s. In the pool, we raced to nine of 11 first-place finishes. This was a great way to wrap up the 2022 dual meet schedule.”
Asheville bookended Tuesday’s meet with a pair of relay victories. Nora Segurola Larrinaga, Beatrice Cocconcelli, Addison Wright, and Delaney Carlton combined to win the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:44.58 to open Tuesday’s action before Segurola and Carlton teamed up with Anna Marcotti and Abby Parks to take the top spot in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:36.07).
The Bulldogs saw their fair share of success in the individual events as well. Hefner, who was named the CCSA Swimmer of the Week earlier in the day, won both the 500-yard freestyle (5:06.69) and 1000-yard freestyle (10:24.44).
Members of Asheville’s two relay teams also picked up some event wins on the day. Carlton continued her dominance in the 50-yard freestyle pacing the field clocking in at 23.36. Upperclassmen Parks (100-yard free – 52.23) and Segurola (100-yard back) finished first in their events as did freshmen Marcotti (200-yard freestyle – 1:54.32) and Cocconcelli (200-yard IM – 2:07.42).
On the boards, five different Bulldogs competed. Jade Canady led the way in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events with point totals of 221.93 and 220.65, respectively. Canady, who placed third in both events, was not the only Bulldog diver to score points for the team as Haley Fein (1-meter – 206.70) and Morgan Coughlen (3-meter – 216.90) did as well.
As mentioned earlier, Tuesday was the Bulldogs’ last time in the pool in 2022. Asheville’s first meet of 2023 will be at the Justice Center Pool on January 6 when it hosts Gardner-Webb at 5:30 p.m.
Courtesy: FGCU Athletics
FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU swimming and diving (3-1, 2-1 CCSA) suffered its first dual meet loss of the season, 148-95, at the hands of UNC Asheville (5-0, 3-0 CCSA) on Tuesday at the FGCU/Lee County Aquatics Complex.
“Definitely not the result we wanted today, and we can look at numerous reasons why,” said FGCU swimming and diving head coach Dave Rollins. “However, the team improved in many areas over our last two competitions. Their commitment to their race strategy and details were great. We continue to see the impact our newest Eagles are having on our program, which is very encouraging for the future. We also had quite a few close races that we came away with the faster touch. Something we have to make sure we continue moving forward. Their support and positive mindset continue to be the driving force of our program.
“Congratulations to Delaney, Cam and Jenna on earning individual wins today. Always exciting to celebrate an Eagle win. We are looking forward to celebrating the holidays and getting right back to work!”
The Eagles started strong, winning both gold and silver in 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Reese Wakefield (Guelph, Ontario, Canada/Bishop Macdonelle HS) secured the gold in both events with season best performances as teammate as Delaney Nelson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) took home two silver medals.
Wakefield posted a 588.90 score in the 3-meter event and followed that up with a 251.70 in the 1-meter dive, earning 18 points toward the Eagles’ cause and improving upon the top scores in all of the CCSA. Nelson added eight points with 233.03 (3-meter) and 226.50 (1-meter) final scores.
FGCU would only capture two more golds throughout the course meet. The Eagles won the 100-yard fly (event 6) and the 100-yard breast (event ten) to give the Green & Blue a total of four golds on the day.
UNCA was victorious in nine of the 13 events Tuesday. In fact, the Bulldogs swept the 50-yard freestyle. UNCA also finished one-and-two in the 200-yard IM, the 100-yard free, and in the 200-yard free relay.
Jenna Gwinn (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) raced to the wall first for FGCU in the 100-yard breast with a time of 1:05.29, her second gold of the season. Cameron Kuriger (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy HS) led the field to place first in the 100-yard fly at 57.36. Kuriger now leads all Eagles in total golds won this season with three.
FGCU accumulated seven silver medals and three bronzes as well.
A pair of Eagles posted podium finishes in the 100-yard back event. Lucija Sulenta (Zagreb, Croatia/Gimnazija i ekonomska skola Benedikta Kotruljevica) placed second with a time of 58.67, while Emma Hixenbaugh (Louisville, Ky./Hillsborough HS) finished close behind in third at 59.81.
Izabela Zekuciova (Drmoul, Czech Republic/North Texas), Mia Burke (Owings Mills, Md./McDonogh School), Emma Bjoernholdt (Bagsvaerd, Denmark/Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium/St. Leo University) each closed in second in their respective events. The 200-yard medley relay team of Sulenta, Gwinn, Kuriger and Hailey Jerew (Miami, Fla./Cutler Bay Senior High) pieced together a second-place swim of 1:45.50.
FGCU will dive back into the pool in 2023, as the Eagles are slated to host Eastern Michigan on Feb. 5 starting at 3 p.m. at the FGCU/Lee County Aquatics Complex.
