IRVING, Texas - After wrapping up a season full of records and achievements, Conference USA has announced the postseason individual awards, with student-athletes from FIU, Florida Atlantic, Marshall and Rice earning recognition. The superlative awards of Swimmer, Freshman Swimmer, Diver, Freshman Diver and Newcomer of the Year were chosen by a vote of the league's head coaches.

2017 C-USA SWIMMING AND DIVING SUPERLATIVE AWARDS
Swimmer of the Year: Letizia Bertelli, FIU
Freshman Swimmer of the Year: Sirena Rowe, Marshall
Diver of the Year: Rebecca Quesnel, FIU
Freshman Diver of the Year: Victoria Moretti, Florida Atlantic
Newcomer of the Year: Lauren Rhodes, Rice

SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
LETIZIA BERTELLI | FIU | JR. | CREMONA, ITALY
Bertelli polished off a dominating junior campaign with her third straight C-USA Championship title and her first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championships. The all-conference swimmer claimed three individual medals (two golds, one silver) and four relay medals (three golds) at this year's C-USA Championship. Bertelli set the school and league record in the 100 Free (48.32) during the 400 Free Relay time trial at the league championship, securing the 25th-fastest time in the nation. She also set personal bests in the 50 Free (22.34) and 100 Fly (53.38) this season. In addition to being recognized as the C-USA Swimmer of the Week on January 3, Bertelli was also named to the 2017 C-USA All-Academic squad.

FRESHMAN SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
SIRENA ROWE | MARSHALL | FR. | CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
Rowe led the Herd to a third-place finish at the C-USA Championship and became the first Marshall swimmer invited to the NCAA Championships since 2005. Her school record qualifying time of 22.08 in the 50 Free ranked 24th among all national leaders and was the fastest time in C-USA this season. Rowe also notched the highest NCAA ranking of any C-USA swimmer, in any event, this season as she was ranked No. 15 in the 50 Back. In addition to the 50 Free, Rowe set new program records in both the 100 Free and 100 Back. At the C-USA Championship, the freshman was a member of three relay teams that established new school records in the 200 Free Relay, 200 Medley Relay and 400 Free Relay.

DIVER OF THE YEAR
REBECCA QUESNEL | FIU | JR. | BURLINGTON, ONTARIO
Quesnel finished third in the platform program at the NCAA Championships, becoming FIU's first-ever First-Team All-American. The junior was also the first All-American diver representing C-USA since Houston's Anastasia Pozdniakova in 2010. In FIU's C-USA Championship run, Quesnel defended her title in the platform and led the Panthers to their third straight title. Throughout the 2016-17 season, she posted 15 Zone B qualifying scores and was named C-USA Diver of the Week six times (17 for her career).

FRESHMAN DIVER OF THE YEAR
VICTORIA MORETTI | FLORIDA ATLANTIC | FR. | ORLANDO, FLORIDA
Moretti burst onto the scene as one of the league's top divers, winning both the 1 and 3-meter programs at the C-USA Championship en route to being named the Diver of the Meet. She became the first Owl to compete at the NCAA Championships in 15 years after taking eighth in the 3-meter finals (595.50) and 11th in the platform finals of the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships. During her rookie campaign, Moretti set FAU freshman record in all three diving programs (295.99 - 1-meter, 332.40 - 3-meter, 256.45 - platform).

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
LAUREN RHODES | RICE | JR. | CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
Rhodes, a first-year transfer from North Carolina State, helped lead the Owls to a second-place finish at the C-USA Championship after swimming on four of Rice's five relays at the meet. While at the championship, Rhodes swam a 22.81 in the 50 Free, finishing sixth and recording the fourth-fastest mark in school history. The junior also swam the anchor leg of the Owls' 400 Medley Relay that set a new school record (3:38.48). At the C-USA Championship, Rhodes scored a total of 70.5 points and participated in three individual event finals.

FOLLOW US, LIKE US
Fans can follow C-USA online on Twitter (@Conference_USA) with the hashtags #CUSASWIM and #AllDayCUSA, and on Facebook (facebook.com/ConferenceUSA).

More information about your favorite #CUSASWIM teams can be found on the school websites:
| FIU | Florida Atlantic | Marshall | North Texas | Old Dominion | Rice |