MIAMI (March 25, 2019) – FIU athletics had another busy week, with six programs competing deep into the spring. Highlighting the action was FIU freshman
Maha Gouda, who became the swim & dive program's youngest All-American in program history after her successful run from the platform at NCAAs in Austin, Texas. On the hardwood, FIU men's basketball picked up the program's first postseason victory after defeating Texas State in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament as well to cap the weekend.
Below is a brief recap of how each FIU team performed this past week.
Softball
The Panthers downed Buffalo for its midweek contest, before dropping three on the road to Middle Tennessee as FIU suffered the sweep to fall to 18-15 overall and 0-6 in league play. FIU returns home this weekend as the Panthers host North Texas on March 30-31 and seeks their first win in the C-USA for the 2019 slate.
Baseball
Logan Allen and
Javier Valdes were the bright spots for FIU baseball this past week as the Panthers went 1-3. Allen continued to dominate on the mound going 8.2 innings of one unearned run ball on Friday night. The lefty struck out 11 Hilltoppers to extend his C-USA best season total to 61, as his performance earned him Co-Pitcher of the Week honors from the conference. Valdes also hit home runs in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday for the first time this season. FIU takes on Florida Gulf Coast for a pair of midweek games, before traveling to Florida Atlantic for a weekend series.
Swim and Dive
FIU's
Maha Gouda earned All-American status over the weekend at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, as the freshman became the youngest Panther in program history to earn the honor after qualifying for the finals of the platform event and finishing eighth overall in Austin, Texas. Gouda posted a final score of 270.55 on ESPNU as the freshman became just the second diver in program history to become an All-American. 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.
Beach Volleyball
The No. 7 FIU beach volleyball team dominated its two duals on Saturday, March 23, at the FAU Beach Bash in Boca Raton. The Panthers defeated Tampa 4-1 in the first contest of the day at Florida Atlantic's Beach Courts and closed out the afternoon with a decisive 5-0 win over North Florida. The wins improve FIU to 8-5 on the season, and winners of three of its last four duals. The Panthers now host their second, and final, event of the season, the prestigious FIU Surf 'N' Turf Invitational, March 29-30 on South Beach. Click
here for complete Surf 'N' Turf Invitational Tournament Central, including schedule.
Track & Field
The FIU track & field team competed at the UCF Invite in Orlando, coming away with six victories on the weekend.
Clarissa Cutliff highlighted the weekend after winning the high jump with a mark of 1.85m, which is the top mark in the NCAA.
Reed Service, the reigning Conference USA Male Field Athlete of the Week, earned his second consecutive victory in the long jump, with a mark of 7.29m. The Panthers compete at the Florida Relays in Gainesville from March 28-30 to continue their successful outdoor slate.
Men's Basketball
The FIU men's basketball team got 29 points apiece from
Brian Beard, Jr. and
Devon Andrews – Andrews' total marking a career-high – as the Panthers earned the program's first postseason win after a thrilling 87-81 come-from-behind victory over Texas State on Saturday night in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). The Panthers now travel to Wisconsin to face Green Bay in the CIT second round on Tuesday, March 26 at 8 p.m. ET. The game can be seen live on WatchCIT.com.
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).
