Klosova Named Conference-USA Freshman Swimmer of the Year

IRVING, Texas, April 16. CONFERENCE USA recognized the league's most outstanding freshman student-athletes in swimming and diving on Thursday. SMU’s Petra Klosova was named 2006 C-USA Freshman Swimmer of the Year, while Houston’s Anastasia Pozdniakova earned the Freshman Diver of the Year accolade. The recipients were selected by a vote of the Conference USA swimming and diving head coaches.

Klosova made an immediate impact for the Mustangs as the rookie from the Czech Republic tallied five gold and one silver medals at the 2006 Conference USA Championship, held in late February. Klosova holds the SMU season-best effort in the 100-yard butterfly, which she set at the C-USA meet, turning in a first-place finish with a time of 54.42. That mark, which helped the Ponies record their first C-USA swimming and diving crown, was just one tenth of a second shy of breaking the meet and pool record, held by Cincinnati’s Ann Degenstein.

Klosova, who was named Co-Swimmer of the Meet, also participated on three first-place relay teams for the Mustangs at the C-USA Championship. The freshman had the second fastest time on the team in the 100-freestyle event, which she notched at the NCAA Championships as she placed 11th. Klosova also touched second in the 50-free at the C-USA championship with a time of 22.64, the second fastest SMU time this season.

Pozdniakova helped Houston keep the diving traditions alive as the freshman aided her team by capturing second-place honors in all three diving events at the C-USA Championships. The Elektrostal, Russia, native ranked among the top six in the 1- and 3-meter springboard events during the NCAA Zone D Meet. She finished second in all three diving events during the C-USA Championship and was one of only two divers to finish among the top three leaders in all three events.

The two-time Diver of the Week honoree is directed by head coach Jane Figueiredo, who is now in her 16th season at UH and has guided 21 divers to the NCAA Championships during her career, including seven to 28 All-America honors. Figueiredo earned her fifth consecutive C-USA Diving Coach of the Year. Her UH divers swept the platform awards and continued to collect diving honors with their fourth consecutive C-USA platform title, while never dropping a one-meter or three-meter springboard title in the conference meet.

Last week, SMU’s Flavia Rigamonti was named 2006 C-USA Swimmer of the Year, while Houston’s Tania Cagnotto earned the Diver of the Year accolade. Rigamonti, who joined Klosova for the Co-Swimmer of the C-USA Meet on Feb. 25, also notched over 10 first-place finishes and over 15 top three finishes this season.

Additional individual awards were previously announced at the 2006 C-USA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship and Men’s Invitational in late February. Daniella Irle, head coach of Tulane Green Wave, earned the 2006 Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. Last year, in just its second season, the Green Wave won the 2005 C-USA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship. Due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the team was forced to evacuate to College Station, Texas where they spent this past fall semester.

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