MIAMI (Dec. 17, 2019) - The FIU women's swimming and diving team secured a Conference USA dual-meet victory against the Marshall Thundering Herd on Friday afternoon by a decisive score of 178-122.

With the win, the Panthers improved to 4-1 in dual-meets this season and 1-0 in C-USA head-to-head contests.

For the full meet results, click here.

"It was a good conference matchup," said Head Coach Randy Horner. "We don't get to have a whole lot of those, so it's great when [opposing teams] are in town so we can get a good dual-meet."

FIU faced Marshall for the first time ever in a dual meet, with FIU securing wins in 12 of 16 events including both relays and diving events.

While the two programs compete in the same conference, logistical and travel accommodations have not allowed the Panthers and Thundering Herd to face off head-to-head in the past. With Marshall already in Coral Springs for a training camp, the timing allowed FIU to schedule the meet and compete against one of C-USA's rising teams.

"The timing of [the meet] before the holidays was a good thing to keep us focused in training." said Head Coach Randy Horner. "Definitely a learning day for the team. Not the performances we've seen all of fall, but it's a glimpse of where we're at right now. We've got a lot of things to focus on and this is a little bit of fuel for the fire."

Stephanie Hussey claimed three swimming events on the day, while Julia Miranda and Christie Chue won two events apiece. Emily Cordovi also secured a first-place finish for the Panthers.

On the diving side, Mandy Song dominated the boards with victories in the both the 1-meter (283.65) and 3-meter (305.33) dives.

The Panthers opened up the meet by taking the top two spots in the 200-yard medley relay. Michaela Trnkova, Chue, Miranda, and Elinah Phillip placed first with a mark of 1:43.83. The team of Kelsie Campbell, Delaine Goll, newcomer Jessica Shpilko, and Hussey followed in second place with a time of 1:44.26.

Hussey secured first overall in the 200 freestyle (1:52.90), while Helga Fodor finished fifth (1:56.12).

The Panthers swept the top three spots in the 100 backstroke, as Miranda (57.76), Trnkova (58.67), and Jordan Browning (59.33) dominated the event.

Chue, the FIU program record holder in the 100 breast, took first overall in the event on Friday with a time of 1:03.78. Goll placed third with a time of 1:05.78.

Cordovi swam an impressive time of 56.97 in the 100 butterfly to take first-place, while Campbell followed in second (56.98), and Shpilko in fifth (59.31).

Hussey also won the 400 IM with a mark of 4:24.28, while Chue placed second (4:28.83), Zahab placed fourth (4:37.58), and Maradyn finished fifth (4:38.81).

The 200 backstroke event was won by Miranda with a time of 2:04.24. Browning placed third (2:09.03), while Trnkova finished fifth (2:14.82).

Chue won her second event of the day after swimming a time of 2:16.38 in the 200 breast, followed by Goll in third place (2:23.22).

Hussey swam to another victory in the 100 freestyle (51.14), followed by Fodor in third (53.05) and Eriana Temperino in fifth (54.04).

In the 200 butterfly, Cordovi posted a speedy time of 2:08.07 to take second-place, while Mia Zahab finished fifth overall (2:10.00).

Phillip and Shpilko placed second and third in the 50 freestyle with times of 24.09 and 24.28, respectively.

In the 1000 freestyle, Helvina Huet and Ellie Maradyn placed fourth and fifth with times of 10:47.54 and 10:49.25, respectively.

Anelis Roque swam to a fourth-place finish in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:21.28.

The Panther group of Phillip, Miranda, Campbell, and Fodor wrapped up the swimming events with a first-place performance in the 200 freestyle relay (1:35.87). Temperino, Shpilko, Delaney Biro, and Goll finished in third-place with a mark of 1:38.07.

Kaitlyn Fredericks placed second in the 1-meter (250.65) dive and fifth in the 3-meter (240.83). Raquel Mason secured fourth overall in both the 1-meter (231.53) and 3-meter (241.13).

UP NEXT
The Panthers are back at the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center for the FIU Sprint Invite on Monday, Jan. 3. Events are set to get underway beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following on Twitter (@FIUSwimDive), Facebook @FIUSwimmingandDiving) and on Instagram (@FIUSwimDive). General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.