FT. MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2016) – The FIU swimming and diving team (7-4) fell to the No. 29-ranked Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 141-64, on Saturday afternoon from the FGCU Aquatics Center.
Sophomore
Kyna Pereira claimed two first-place finishes on the afternoon, winning the 1000 free (10:10.83) and the 500 free (5:03.14). The time of 10:10.83 gave the Umkomass, South Africa, native her fifth-straight, first-place finish in the 1000 free this season, while her 5:03.14 in the 500 free marked the fifth time this season Pereira has claimed to top time in the event.
In the 200 free, sophomore
Letizia Bertelli notched the Panthers' best time of 1:53.22 for a third-place finish. Bertelli also had a second-place finish in the 100 fly (56.64). Sophomore
Naomi Ruele took second in the 50 free with a time of 23.80 and placed third in the 100 free with a 52.04 mark.
Senior
Jessica Piper had FIU's top finish in 200 IM (2:10.06), placing third and recorded a time of 58.36 in the 100 back to finish second. Following Piper in the 100 back was sophomore
Skye Carey, who notched a time of 58.53. In the 100 breast, sophomore
Chase Harris clocked in an FIU-best 1:07.16 to finish third.
The Panthers will next host Miami on Senior Day in the team's final home meet of the 2015-16 season. Start time is set for noon from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.
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/.
