MIAMI (March 11, 2016) – Sophomore Rebecca Quesnel made FIU swimming and diving history becoming the first Panther diver to qualify for the NCAA Championships this past Wednesday from the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga.
 
Quesnel, the Conference USA Diver of the Meet during the conference championships, posted a score of 523.50 (over 10 dives in both the prelims and finals) to finish fifth in this year's Zone B Diving Platform Finals and earn the program's first birth in the NCAA Championships in diving.
 
"Becca fought back after missing a few dives in the prelims," Head Coach Randy Horner said. "She is a legit threat to contend at the NCAA's next week if she can put all her dives together in one list."
 
Quesnel, a native of Burlington, Ontario, made her second-straight appearance in the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in Atlanta, Ga., this past week. During the three-day event Quesnel, who qualified for all three events (1-meter, 3-meter, platform), focused her attention to the 1-meter and platform programs.
 
After placing 33^rd in the 1-meter on Monday, Quesnel responded with a strong performance on the platform. During the prelims, she posted a score of 237.45 (five dives) good for 13^th place and a spot in the finals. In the finals, Quesnel recorded the second-highest score (286.05 on five dives) to move up eight spots, finishing fifth overall.   
 
Quesnel, a five-time C-USA Diver of the Week, has had a very successful 2015-16 season. She claimed the gold medal in the 1-meter and platform programs, while placing second in the 3-meter at this year's C-USA Championships. She set the school record in the platform during the championships, posting a score of 299.80.  Quesnel also set personal bests in the 1-meter (308.85 versus Illinois – 11/7/15), and the 3-meter (330.50 at FIU Relays – 1/9/16).
 
Quesnel will join FIU swimmer Naomi Ruele (50 Free) in Atlanta next weekend.
 
The NCAA Championships will take place at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center (the site of the team's 2016 C-USA Championship), March 16-19.
 
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About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.