Courtesy: FGCU Athletics
ATLANTA – After breaking both the FGCU and CCSA records in the 200 Breast this past weekend, junior swimmer Petra Halmai has been named CCSA Swimmer of the Week, as announced by the conference Tuesday afternoon. This is the third weekly honor for the Hungary native this season.
Halmai (Dombovar, Hungary/Lanczos Komel Secondari Grammar School) capped off a successful weekend of competition at Houston’s Phill Hansel Invitational by laying down a time of 2:10.86 in the 200-yard breaststroke, breaking her previous school and conference record of 2:11.21. The swim was good for a second-place finish in the event and currently ranks 24th in the country.
“The conference saw a lot of impressive performances from many schools over the weekend, so for Petra to receive this honor is something special,” head coach Dave Rollins said. “She has been dialed in on another level this year and is seeing her hard work pay off in a big way. Setting a school and conference record is a special achievement. Congratulations to Petra.”
Over the course of the three-day invitational (Nov. 21-23), Halmai qualified for the A Finals in four different individual events. In addition to her second-place finish in the 200 Breast, Halmai achieved the same feat in the 200-yard butterfly after swimming a 1:59.49.
While her individual finishes in the 200 Breast and 200 Fly events highlighted her performances, she also made it to the A Finals in both the 200 IM and the 100 Breast. Swimming against a highly-competitive field, she finished sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.12) and seventh in the 200 IM (2:01.20).
Halmai also swam on three of FGCU’s relays throughout the invitational. She helped lead the 200-yard medley relay team to a third-place finish, swimming a 27.92-second split in the breaststroke. Her 1:53.78 split in the 800 Free Relay helped team to secure an eighth-place finish and she swam a 1:00.18 split in the 400 Medley Relay, despite her group’s entry being disqualified.
The Eagles (6-4, 4-0 CCSA) closed out their fall competition slate at the Phill Hansel Invitational, earning a ninth-place team finish. The team will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 2 for a Noon meet at the FGCU Aquatics Complex. FGCU is set to host Tulane, Illinois State and CCSA rival Liberty.