AUSTIN, Texas (March 23, 2019) - On the final day from the platform at the NCAA Championships, FIU diver
Maha Gouda left her mark as the freshman became the youngest Panther in program history to earn All-American honors.
"Maha did what she came here to do and did it well," said Head Diving Coach
Rio Ramirez. "Making a final as a freshman and diving with more experienced divers in this arena is a great accomplishment."
Additionally, the honor for Gouda marks just the second time in program history that a Panther earned All-American laurels. Gouda joins
Rebecca Quesnel who placed third at the 2017 NCAA Championships, with the former Panther also capturing the honor in the platform event.
"Maha is our second All-American at FIU in the history of the program," Ramirez said. "This is very exciting for the program and we are just getting started."
During her finals performance, all but one dive secured six or more points from the judges table. An impressive achievement for the lone freshman who is expected to be back and better at the NCAA competition in 2020.
Gouda finished the finals event in eighth place, after posting a score of 270.55. Earlier in the day, Gouda placed seventh in the preliminary session after a score of 282.15 to land her a spot on the big stage for the night cap.
In addition to Gouda's historic run at the NCAAs, fellow teammate and senior
Naomi Ruele closed out her fourth-straight trip to the NCAAs by finishing 39th overall in the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.34. Ruele, who competed in the 100 backstroke on Friday as well, placed 27th overall for the highest NCAA finish of her Panther career. Additionally, the time of 52.42 on Friday set a program record in the event.
Despite having only two Panthers compete at the NCAAs over the weekend, the Panthers finished 37th overall at the NCAAs after posting 11 points thanks to Gouda's eighth-place finish.
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