Panthers Rachel Tobin, Victor Furtado Garner Erdman Auto Group Athlete of the Week Honors

Palm Bay native Tobin first place finish in 400m

ABOVE VIDEO: Florida Tech head swimming coach Justin Andrade shares his thoughts on the upcoming season. Andrade covers the Panthers’ key returners, impactful newcomers and 2016-17 schedule highlights.

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Following spectacular performances during the week, women’s track and field’s Rachel Tobin and men’s swimming’s Victor Furtado have been named the Mike Erdman Auto Group Athletes of the Week.

Tobin had an impressive showing at the season opening Embry-Riddle First Chance-Last Chance meet in Daytona Beach.

The 2015 NCAA Division II All-American kicked off the competition with a first-place finish in the 400m dash in a new school record time of 57.80.

The Palm Bay product then partnered up with teammates Cieanna Nichols, Maia Carter and JoeMarie Reid for a victory in the 4x400m relay with another school record time of 3:59.46. In her final heat of the day, Tobin dashed to a second place finish in the 200m in 25.24.

Furtado had an outrageously successful experience at last week’s Sunshine State Conference Swimming Championships, leading the Panthers by corralling 54 total points.

He garnered seven total medals, five school records, six NCAA B-cut times and one NCAA provisional relay time over the four days of competition.

Rachel Tobin, the 2015 NCAA Division II All-American kicked off the competition with a first-place finish in the 400m dash in a new school record time of 57.80. (FIT image)

On the first day of the event, Furtado finished second overall, behind top finisher and teammate Nir Barnea, in the men’s 50 yard freestyle final with a B-cut time of 20.01.

He then paired up with Barnea, Nathan Hufnagel and Matt Gallene to grab the bronze in the 200 yard medley relay with a school record and NCAA provisional time of 1:29.36.

He continued the momentum on Friday when he teamed up with Barnea, Gallene and Filip Dujmic for the gold medal in the 200 yard freestyle relay with a new school record and B-cut time of 1:19.79.

Later that day, Furtado set a new school record in the men’s 100 yard butterfly, taking the silver medal with a B-cut time of 48.19.

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native earned another relay medal, this time a bronze in the 800 yard freestyle relay, partnering up with Emanuele Rossi, Harry Sale and Thomas Steenberg for another school record and B-cut time of 6:35.87.

In the final day of the competition, Furtado garnered the gold medal in the 100 yard freestyle with a B-cut time of 43.89, falling just short of his own school record in the event by .02 seconds.

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native earned another relay medal, this time a bronze in the 800 yard freestyle relay, partnering up with Emanuele Rossi, Harry Sale and Thomas Steenberg for another school record and B-cut time of 6:35.87. (FIT image)

Concluding his reign at championships, the sophomore paired up with Barnea, Dujmic and Steenberg for the gold in the 400 yard freestyle, touching the wall in a new school record and B-cut time of 2:56.59.

Tobin and the track and field teams return to action on Mar. 3 at the Tampa Invitational in Tampa, Florida.

Furtado finds out his fate for the 2017 National Championships this Wednesday, Feb. 22, when the NCAA releases its list of qualifiers.

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Be sure to join Alan Zlotorzynski tomorrow at 12:30 live from Old School Pizza for this weeks edition of the Billy Mims Show.

The head basketball coach of the FIT Panthers has much to discuss, including two big wins thias past week over Lynn and Embry Riddle Universities.

Coach Mims will also discuss what his team needs to do to reach the Sunshine State Conference postseason tournament with only two games remaining.

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