MIAMI (Feb. 25, 2019) – With the spring slate in full swing, FIU Athletics had seven sports in action over the past week. The Panthers went 3-0 against Florida Atlantic, with men's basketball, women's basketball and women's tennis all earning victories over the Owls.
Below is how each FIU team performed this past week.
Softball
The
Heather Gelbard led softball team went 3-2 over the weekend, capping the Panther Invitational with wins over Big-10 foe Rutgers and Columbia. The Panthers are now 9-5 on the season, which marks the program's best start since going 10-4 to open the season in 2017. FIU was led at the plate by
Jackie Schoff who hit .533 with four runs, two RBIs, two triples and a walk. The Panthers hit the road for the Madeira Beach Invitational on March 1-3, as FIU takes on Georgia Southern, Penn State, Villanova, Siena and Detroit Mercy to continue the season.
Baseball
The duo of
Adan Fernandez and
Derek Cartaya led FIU baseball to a 2-1 record this past week, with wins over Bethune-Cookman and South Dakota State. Fernandez hit two home runs and four RBIs, while Cartaya tallied five base knocks and three RBIs on the week. Friday's 4-1 win over South Dakota State saw a masterful pitching performance from
Logan Allen. The sophomore tossed six scoreless innings while only allowing two hits and striking out 10 Jackrabbits. FIU plays Miami at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m., before hitting the road for Jacksonville State this weekend for a three-game series.
Women's Basketball
Freshman
Ce'Nara Skanes earned her seventh double-double of the season to lead FIU past Florida Atlantic on Saturday, as the Panthers downed the Owls 56-49. Skanes scored 15 points and snagged 16 rebounds on the day, while
Chelsea Guimaraes chipped in 11 points to help the Panthers clip the Owls. FIU returns home this weekend as the Panthers host Charlotte for the home finale on Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m. ET.
Men's Basketball
Brian Beard, Jr. scored his second-straight 20-point effort of the year as the senior dropped 20 points to lead FIU over Florida Atlantic in thrilling fashion this past Saturday. The Panthers gutted out a 79-76 victory over the Owls on the road at the FAU Arena. The win improves FIU's record to 17-11 on the year, and 8-7 in C-USA play, and secured its first winning season since the 2012-13 campaign, and only the second since 1999-00. FIU is back home on Sunday, March 3 at 12 p.m. as the Panthers host Louisiana Tech to continue C-USA action.
Beach Volleyball
FIU opened the 2019 campaign in impressive fashion, as the Panthers posted a 4-0 record at the Stetson University Spring Fling over the weekend. All four wins came by the way of 5-0 shutouts, including wins over No. 17 Stetson and No. 13 Georgia State. The hot start marks only the second time in school history the Panthers have opened the year at 4-0. The Panthers return to the sand on March 8 as FIU travels to Irvine, California to take on Concordia.
Women's Tennis
The women's tennis team completed a perfect weekend on the courts after taking down FAU 4-1 on Friday and UNF 4-2 on Saturday. The Panthers improve their record 3-4 overall 1-0 in conference play. FIU will host three teams at home this weekend, with Marshall (March 1), Yale (March 2) and North Texas (March 3) visiting Miami.
Women's Golf
Sophomore
Valentina Gilly nabbed her sixth Top 25 performance of the season last week at the Moon Golf Invitational to lead the FIU women's golf team. The Venezuela native improved her total strokes in each round and finished the tournament with two rounds under par. The Panthers return to the links on March 9-10 as FIU travels to Gainesville for the Gator Invitational.
TICKETS
For tickets to all FIU games can be purchased online at
tickets.fiusports.com or by phone at 305-FIU-GAME.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
