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Cougar Student-Athletes Honored at Awards Banquet Monday
May 5, 2009
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Athletics Department recognized several outstanding student-athletes at its annual Sports Awards Banquet on Monday. Senior Ivan Diggs and junior Anastasia Pozdniakova headlined the list of award winners as they were named the male and female Cougar of the Year, respectively. After being forced to miss the entire 2008 outdoor season due to injury, Diggs made a definite impact since his return to competition this spring. Jumping out of the gate in fine form, Diggs recorded wins in four-consecutive collegiate high-jump competitions, including the prestigious Texas Relays in April. The Wichita, Kan., native set a personal best at the meet with a clearance of 2.23m, moving him into a tie for the fourth highest in program history. Currently ranked fourth in the nation, the three-time All American has set six NCAA regional qualifying marks this season. He is the only conference athlete to record a mark higher than two meters, doing so six times. Pozdniakova was the 2009 NCAA national champion on the 1-meter springboard, runner up on the 3m springboard and finished 9th on the platform - earning her All America status on all three levels. The Elektrostal, Russia, native also was named the C-USA Diver of the Year and C-USA Diver of the Meet during the conference championships and was the first Cougar to win all three events since 2006. It was her second Diver of the Meet Award. In international competition, Pozdniakova teamed with former Cougar Yulia Pakhalina at last summer's Olympics in Beijing to win the silver medal in the 3-meter synchronized springboard. Also being honored during the ceremony was senior Seun Adigun, who received the Robert L. Grainger Outstanding Leadership Award, given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies academic leadership. The Chicago, Ill., native was recently honored by Conference USA with the "Spirit of Service Award" for her community outreach efforts both in Houston and her hometown of Chicago. She is a member of the Student-Athlete Council, the Nigerian Islamic Association and the National Youth Council of Islam. 2009 Academic MVP's |
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