MIAMI – The FIU swimming and diving program returns to action Saturday, Jan. 3, hosting the FIU Sprint Invite at the Doral Aquatic Center, with competition beginning at 10 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 3 at FIU Sprint Invite

• Time / Site: 10 a.m. at Doral Aquatic Center
• Meet Mobile (available on Apple and Google Play) & live updates on X 
• Presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics

The FIU Sprint Invite features a full slate of swimming and diving events, highlighted by a unique tournament-style format in all 50-yard races. Swimmers will compete through three rounds, culminating in a two-person head-to-head final. The sprint events include the 50-yard backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.
 
American Athletic Conference foe Tulane and Division II program Concordia St. Paul will compete in both swimming and diving events, while Wisconsin and Georgia Southern will field divers only.
 
Saturday's meet marks the Panthers' first competition since their home dual against Marshall on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

HISTORY OF THE MEET
Saturday will mark the 13th edition of the FIU Sprint Invite. FIU has captured the title in each of the last seven meets, dating back to the 2016–17 season to open the calendar year.

Last season, the Panthers placed first with a meet-high 482 points.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
 1) 50 Backstroke (Heats – Round 1)
2) 50 Breaststroke (Heats – Round 1)
3) 50 Butterfly (Heats – Round 1)
4) 50 Free (Heats – Round 1)
5) 200 Free
6) 100 IM
7) 50 Backstroke (Top 8 – Round 2)
8) 50 Breaststroke (Top 8 – Round 2)
9) 50 Butterfly (Top 8 – Round 2)
10) 50 Free (Top 8 – Round 2)
10 Minute Break
11) 100 Free
12) 100 Back
13) 50 Backstroke (Top 4 – Round 3)
14) 50 Breaststroke (Top 4 – Round 3)
15) 50 Butterfly (Top 4 – Round 3)
16) 50 Free (Top 4 – Round 3)
17) 100 Butterfly
18) 100 Breaststroke
19) 50 Backstroke (Top 2 – Final)
20) 50 Breaststroke (Top 2 – Final)
21) 50 Butterfly (Top 2 – Final)
22) 50 Free (Top 2 – Final)

LAST TIME OUT
FIU competed against Marshall in mid-December, falling 172.5–121.5, while recording 10 top-two finishes on the day, including five individual and relay victories.
 
The Panthers found success in the relay events, winning both the 200-yard medley relay (1:44.63) and the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:35.52).
 
Freshman Pauline Zeller captured first place in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 55.30 and added a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly (2:03.42).
 
Sophomore Tawannah McLemore earned the win in the 50-yard freestyle (23.50) and placed third in the 100-yard freestyle (53.57), while fellow sophomore Claudia Frasca took top honors in the 200-yard backstroke (2:05.84).
 
On the boards, FIU dominated the diving events. The Panthers swept the top three spots in the 1-meter competition, led by Kristina Keenan's winning score of 236.60, followed by Adyson Downey (211.65) and Sydney Soto (209.00).
 
FIU continued its strong performance in the 3-meter event, claiming the top four finishes. Soto earned first with a score of 251.00, Keenan placed second (231.80), Downey finished third (230.40), and Brooke Megdall rounded out the sweep in fourth (227.85).

UP NEXT
Meet competition resumes on Saturday, Jan. 10 as the Panthers host Harvard and Miami for a tri-meet at the Doral Aquatic Center. Events are set for 12 p.m. and can follow along on MeetMobile.
 
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.