An FGCU swimmer powers through the water during a race at the FGCU Aquatics Center on Saturday, Oct. 10. The Eagles opened their dual-meet schedule with a 253-70 victory over Keiser University. (Photo by Zachary Gibbons/The Eagle Sports Report)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Florida Gulf Coast University Swimming and Diving team (1-0) cruised past Keiser University 253-70 on Saturday at the FGCU Aquatics Center to open its dual-meet schedule in strong fashion.

“I think it was great to get some of the athletes from the same events that they did a week ago and see how we adjust our training and approach to today’s events,” FGCU head coach Dave Rollins said. “We had a lot of really good strategic improvements, and overall their execution was a whole lot better this week.”

The meet featured a “blind distance” format, adding an extra layer of strategy and mental toughness to the deck. While swimmers knew which strokes they were competing in, the actual distances were drawn at random from a bowl and revealed to the athletes only when they stepped up to the blocks.

“Lowkey I really liked it because it was something different that we did,” senior freestyle swimmer Jasmin Kroll said. “It was kind of nerve-wracking to not know what we’re swimming, but I felt pretty good off the blocks, probably because we couldn’t really think too much about the race itself.”

Kroll followed up her strong performance at the TYR Fall Classic in Miami with another dominant display on her home deck. She swept all three primary freestyle events, winning the 50-yard in 22.92 seconds, the 100-yard in 50.78 seconds, and the 200-yard in 1:50.59.

“I love the 50, I love the 100, I love the 200,” Kroll added. “I’ve been swimming for many years now, so I have the right strategy to put down for every single race. It just pops up in my mind. We knew what we were swimming beforehand, just not in what order.”

Izzy Ackley followed suit, sweeping the backstroke events. She won the 50-yard in 24.68 seconds, the 100-yard in 54.07 seconds, and the 200-yard in 2:01.05.

Nori Hetyei placed first in both the 100-yard butterfly (56.48) and the 200-yard butterfly (2:04.90), while Emily McMahan claimed the 50-yard butterfly in 25.67 seconds. Freshman Olivia Bates from Auckland, New Zealand, captured the 400-yard individual medley in 4:26.54. Charlotte Driesse swept the shorter IM events, finishing first in the 100 IM (58.80) and 200 IM (2:06.98), while Aislyn Barnett won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:15.72. The Eagles also swept the top two spots in the 200-yard mixed medley relay.

Bates’ first collegiate win earned high praise from both Rollins and Kroll.

“Her first couple weeks of training were getting her ready for 10k open water,” Rollins said. “She swam at Junior Worlds in the 10k open water and swam well, and then coming back and trying to get her adjusted to racing yards has been fun because obviously they don’t really do it anywhere else. Continuing to work on her improvement around her walls has been a big focus the last couple of weeks. She continues to improve, which has been great.”

“She’s doing amazing,” Kroll added. “She’s a sweet girl and putting all the effort in. Especially coming back from a concussion, she put her head down. She is really an encouragement to have on the team.”

At the diving well, Alexandra Andueza swept both events, winning the 1-meter dive with a score of 284.40 and the 3-meter with a score of 252.15. The performance earned her ASUN Diver of the Week honors for the second straight week on Monday.

FGCU next travels to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a two-day trip Oct. 23-24. The Eagles face ASUN opponent Queens University of Charlotte and Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 23, before competing against Queens and Wingate University on Saturday, Oct. 24.

“An ACC team in Virginia Tech, and Queens is one of the top teams in our conference,” Rollins said. “It gives us an opportunity to get out of town, get out of the state a little bit, travel just to race, and kind of see where we stand at this point in the year. We’re definitely looking forward to it.”