Conference USA is celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. In conjunction, the league is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference’s 19 sports. Women’s Swimming and Diving is the latest sport to have its All-Decade team released and the squad is led by former Houston diver Yulia Pakhalina, a three-time Olympic medalist who was named Athlete of the Decade. The Swimming and Diving Coach of the Decade award was won by Houston’s Jane Figueiredo, who has guided three divers to nine All-American awards. Voting on the awards was done by each of the league’s current swimming and diving coaches.

Cincinnati, Houston and TCU each produced three members of the squad, while East Carolina placed one athlete on the team.

C-USA WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING ALL-DECADE TEAM

Yulia Pakhalina, Houston (2001-03) – ATHLETE OF THE DECADE
Three-time Olympic Medalist (2000, 2004)… Two-time NCAA Diver of the Year (2001, 2003)….three-time NCAA 3-meter diving national champion (2001-03)… Two-time NCAA 1-meter diving national champion (2001, 2003)… Two-time All-American in 1-meter diving (2002-03)… Two-time All-American in 3-meter diving (20-02-03)… 11-time C-USA Swimmer of the Week winner….Two-time C-USA Diver of the Year (2002-03)… Two-time C-USA Diver of the Meet (2002-03)… Two-time C-USA 1-meter diving champion (2002-03)… Two-time C-USA 3-meter diving champion (2002-03)… 2002 C-USA platform diving champion… on 64 of the 66 collegiate diving events in which she entered, including 36 consecutive events at one point.

Maria Oberg, Cincinnati (1998-2002)
Conference USA swimmer of the year in 2002…Swimmer of the Meet at C-USA Championship…five-time C-USA Champion…five-time NCAA All-American…conference records in 200, 500 & 1650 freestyle…holds four individual UC records and one relay record…C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year…led Bearcats to C-USA Championship in 2002…NCAA qualifier in three freestyle events, finishing fifth in 500 free in 2002…Verizon Academic All-District selection in 2002.

Marein de Jong, Cincinnati (1998-2002)
NCAA Qualifier in three events in 2002…three individual Conference USA titles (50, 100 Free & 100 Fly) in 2002…set three conference records…led Bearcats to 2002 C-USA team championship…holds one individual school record and was part of two record-setting relay teams…two-time Conference USA Swimmer of the Week.

Ann Degenstein, Cincinnati (2002-present)
Five time C-USA individual event champion…C-USA record holder in 100 and 200 meter butterfly…ranks 12th nationally in both the 100 and 200 meter butterfly this season…C-USA Freshman Swimmer of the Meet in 2003…member of C-USA champion 400 meter freestyle relay team in 2003…has won 11 individual races this season.

Diane Parker, East Carolina (2001-present)
A two-time Conference USA Female Swimmer of the year recipient (2003, 2004) ... 2002-03 and 2003-04 C-USA Swimmer of the Meet ...Led Pirates to 2002-2003 conference title ... seven-time conference swimmer of the week ... C-USA Rookie of the Year award 2001-2002 .... ECU’s Most Outstanding Swimmer 2001-2004 ... six individual conference championships ... six ECU varsity records (200 free, 100 and 200 breast, 100 and 200 fly, and the 200 IM) ... C-USA records in the 100 breast and in the 200 IM ... ECU varsity records as a member of four relay teams (400 free, 800 free, 200 medley, 400 medley) ... Competed in the 2004 NCAA Division I Championships.

Azul Almazan, Houston (2002 – present)
2004 NCAA All-American (3-meter, platform)… 2003 NCAA All-American (3-meter)… 2004 NCAA Zone D Platform champion… 2004 C-USA Diver of the Meet… 2004 C-USA Diver of the Year… 2003 C-USA Platform diving champion… 2003 C-USA Freshman Diver of the Year… Six-time C-USA Diver of the Week… Three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll (2001-04)… Qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her first two seasons.

Anna Kiess, Houston (2003 – present)
2004 NCAA All-American (3-meter, platform)… 2004 C-USA Platform diving champion… 2004 1-meter diving champion… 2004 C-USA Freshman Diver of the Year… Five-time C-USA Diver of the Week… Member of the 2004 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Erin Irons, TCU (2001-2004)
All-Conference selection all three years in C-USA (2002, 2003, 2004)… All-Conference in six events as a sophomore and seven events each as a junior and senior… finished either first or second in seven events in 2004 to help the Frogs win their first ever conference championship… claimed the C-USA titles in the 50 and 100-free as a junior… member of the 200-freestyle and 200-medley relay teams that set meet and school records in 2004… named the C-USA Swimmer of the Week six times in her career.

Jamie MacCurdy, TCU (1998-2002)
All-Conference selection in only season in C-USA (2002)… won four events and was runner-up in two more at the C-USA Championship… NCAA “B” qualifier in two events in 2002… named the Athlete of the Year for all sports at TCU in 2002… named TCU’s Most Valuable Swimmer all four years of collegiate career… school record holder in three individual events and one relay.

Aimee Moreau, TCU (2002-present)
A three-time All-Conference selection (2002, 2003, 2004)… all-conference selection in three events as a freshman, two events as a sophomore and four events as a junior… has won five events in her C-USA career… won back-to-back crowns in the 200-backstroke in 2003 and 2004… tied a conference record in 2003 in the 100 back (56.88)… member of the winning 200-freestyle relay that set a meet and school record in 2004, while helping the Frogs to their first ever conference championship.


C-USA WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING COACH OF THE DECADE

Jane Figueiredo, Houston (2002-present)
Her divers have dominated all C-USA awards over the last four years… Two-time NCAA Diving Coach of the Year (2001, 2003)… Three-time C-USA Diving Coach of the Year (2002-04)…Served as coach at three Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004)… Guided three divers to nine All-American honors.