MIAMI (Jan. 3, 2017) – The No. 44-ranked FIU swimming and diving team finished second at the 2017 Orange Bowl Swim Classic on Tuesday, Jan. 3, from the Jacobs Aquatic Center in Key Largo, Florida.
The Panthers (105) finished the meet behind No. 6 Michigan (292.5) and ahead of Duquesne (37), George Mason (37), Northeastern (36.5) and Middlebury College (10).
In the 200 Short Course Meter Medley Relay, the team of
Ally Mayhew,
Taylor Grabenhorst,
Letizia Bertelli and
Jennifer Deist placed third with a time of 1:58.79. Junior
Kyna Pereira followed that up with a fourth-place result in the 400 (SC) Meter Free, posting a time of 4:25.05. Bertelli posted her first of two top-three individual finishes, placing third in the 50 (SC) Meter Fly (28.06). The reigning Conference USA Swimmer of the Week also finished second in the 100 (SC) Meter Fly (1:03.06).
Junior
Skye Carey notched a third-place finish in the 100 (SC) Back with a time of 1:03.93 and also had the Panthers' top time in the 50 (SC) Meter Back (30.41). Grabenhorst led FIU in the 50 (SC) Meter Breast, tallying a result of 34.89, while fellow newcomer
Megan Bowen registered the Panthers' best result in the 100 (SC) Meter Free (58.76). Bowen also recorded a team's top time in the 200 (SC) Meter IM with a 2:25.18.
Freshman
Carita Luukkanen notched a 1:14.74 in the 100 (SC) Meter Breast for FIU's best time, while Deist took fourth in the 50 (SC) Meter Free with a result of 27.00.
In the final event of the afternoon, the team of Bertelli, Carey,
Marie Lauridsen and Deist finished second in the 200 (SC) Meter Free Relay with a time of 1:46.81.
The Panthers will host the FIU Sprint Invite on Friday, Jan. 6. Start time from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center is set for 1:00 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUSwimDive) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSwimmingAndDiving) for all the latest Swimming and Diving news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
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/.
