Davis, Layland Impress in Dual Meet with FGCU
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Sophomore Cameron Davis and freshman diver Wally Layland were among a number of Hurricanes who impressed Saturday afternoon in a dual meet with the FGCU Eagles.
Davis, who helped anchor the Hurricanes during their first two competitions of the fall, turned in top finishes in both the 1000-yard freestyle and the 500 freestyle. Davis’ time in the 1000 freestyle (10:14.71) was over five seconds better than the second-place finisher, while a close victory in the 500 (5:01.95) gave Miami top points.
“Davis certainly led the way on the swimming end with her wins in the 500 and 1000,” head coach Andy Kershaw said. “She swam the races exactly like we talked about and like we’ve been working on. I was very proud of that.”
Layland delivered two top finishes of her own, sweeping the 1-meter and 3-meter events to give Miami the edge in diving. Layland finished with 289.35 in the 1-meter and ah impressive 3-meter point total of 314.85 in her collegiate debut.
“Layland’s two victories on the boards were huge,” Kershaw said. “This was her first chance to represent The U and she made us very proud.”
Freshman Julie Suarez continued her impressive start to college swimming with a top finish in the 200 freestyle (1:54.16). She also took third place in the 200 backstroke (2:08.72) and swam on Miami’s entry in the 200 medley relay.
“Suarez continues to be a tough racer and got a victory in the 200 free,” Kershaw said. “It’s great to ge that kind of contribution from a freshman.”
It came as no surprise that junior team captain My Fridell took first in the 100 butterfly, touching the wall in a time of 56.14 seconds.
“We always know we can count on Fridell to get to the wall when the 100 fly comes around,” Kershaw said. “Her stroke looked great.”
Despite falling to the Eagles 195-104, Kershaw was encouraged by the performance of his group.
“We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted in the score, but we saw some things we can build on and some areas we need to continue to work on,” Kershaw said.
Miami continues its schedule on Nov. 8 with its first home meet of the season. The Hurricanes will battle Illinois State at 11 a.m.
