MIAMI (Sept. 12, 2022) - The FIU women's swimming and diving team added nine signees to the program for the 2022 campaign, with head coach Randy Horner bringing in eight freshman and one transfer to bolster the squad.

"We graduated a great senior class last year, and I strongly believe we have assembled an even stronger freshman class this fall," said Coach Horner. "We are excited to see what's in store for each of their collegiate careers. The future is very bright for FIU swimming & diving."

Among the newcomers are Nicole Frank, Gia Pergolini, Harliai Curthoys-Davies, Emma Becker, Ana Luiza Daisson, Serena Buchwald, Ruska Lehtonen, Ingrid Huszar, and Var Erlingsdottir Eidesgaard.

Each of the signees joins the program for the Fall 2022 portion of the upcoming campaign, with the exception of Huszar and Erlingsdottir Eidesgaard, who will both be added to the roster for the Spring 2023 semester.
 
NICOLE FRANK | FRESHMAN | BREASTSTROKE/FREESTYLE/IM
Frank is a native of Montevideo, Uruguay, who represented her country in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She holds four individual national records in the 200 meter freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 200m IM, and 400m IM. Frank also represented Uruguay at the Junior South American Championships, where she won individual gold (50m breast), silver (200m IM), and bronze (200m breast). Frank swam with Azura Florida Aquatics in Davie, Florida before becoming a Panther.

GIA PERGOLINI | FRESHMAN| FREESTYLE
Pergolini is a freestyle swimmer who represented Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, where she secured a gold medal in the 100 meter backstroke while posting a world record time. A native of Roswell, Georgia, Pergolini represented the Dynamo Swim Club in Atlanta and attended St. Francis High School before coming to FIU.

HARLIAI CURTHOYS-DAVIES | FRESHMAN | FREESTYLE/BACKSTROKE
Hailing from Adelaide, Australia, Curthoys-Davies specializes in freestyle & backstroke and is a multi-state champion in Southern Australia. Curthoys-Davies grew up swimming for the Barossa Swimming Club and trained with the South Australian Sports Institute before coming to FIU.

EMMA BECKER | FRESHMAN | BREASTSTROKE/IM
Becker joins FIU from the Mesa, Arizona, where she was a four-time Arizona State Champion in the 100 yard breaststroke. Primarily a breaststroke and IM swimmer, Emma swam for Mesa Aquatic Club and Mountain View High School before arriving in Miami.

ANA LUIZA DAISSON | FRESHMAN | FREESTYLE
Luiza Daisson joins FIU from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she represented her country as a member of the Junior National team. At the Junior South American Championships, Luiza Daisson won individual bronze in the 200 meter freestyle and also grabbed relay golds in both the 4x100 meter and 4x200 meter freestyle. Luiza Daisson trained at Clube de Regatas do Flamengo before coming to FIU.

SERENA BUCHWALD | GRADUATE-TRANSFER | DIVING
Buchwald transfers to FIU after spending four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was a three-time NCAA Zone Qualifier and a one-time NCAA Championship Qualifier. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Buchwald attended Balmoral Hall School.

RUSKA LEHTONEN | FRESHMAN | DIVING
Ruska Lehtonen is a diver hailing from Helsinki, Finland. Lehtonen most recently competed at the European Junior Championships (2021) where she placed 14th in the platform event.

INGRID HUSZAR | FRESHMAN | BREASTSTROKE
Huszar is a breaststroke specialist from Oradea, Romania, where she brings international competition experience having appeared in the LEN European Aquatics Junior Championships.

VAR ERLINGSDOTTIR EIDESGAARD | FRESHMAN | FREESTYLE
Erlingsdottir Eidesgaard is a distance freestyle specialist hailing from Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.  Erlingsdottir Eidesgaard is one of the most decorated swimmers in Faroe Islands history, where she owns a total of 10 individual national records across SCM and LCM competition.

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