March 27, 2007

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IRVING, Texas - Conference USA announced its 2007 swimming and diving specialty award winners today, as selected by the conference's head coaches. Student-athletes from SMU and Houston claimed all four awards that were voted on this season. The Mustangs' Petra Klosova is this year's Swimmer of the Year, while Angela San Juan Cisneros of SMU shares the Newcomer of the Year award with Ginni van Katwijk of Houston. UH's Anastasia Pozdniakova claims Diver of the Year honors and Cougar Jessica Shamburger collected Freshman of the Year accolades. The Mustangs recently placed 14th as a team at the 2007 NCAA Championship and scored 58 points, while the Cougars tallied 38 points and finished 23rd.

Klosova is a sophomore from Koprivince, Czech Republic, and was an All-American in both 2006 and 2007. At the 2007 championships she garnered All-America status in the 100 free and as a part of the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free and 400 medley relays. In the 100 free, Klosova placed 16th in the prelims with a time of 49.28. She bettered her time and placed ninth in the finals with a time of 48.50. She also garnered All-Conference USA honors in both 2006 and 2007 and was named Swimmer of the Meet at the 2007 C-USA Championship. Klosova was also honored as C-USA Swimmer of the Week three times in 2006-07.

Also a sophomore, Pozdniakova claims the Diver of the Year award after being named Freshman Diver of the Year in 2006. The native of Russia swept both the 1- and 3-meter springboard events at this year's C-USA Championship and was named Diver of the Meet. She then went on to sweep both events again at the Zone D meet, before taking fifth place on the 1-meter board and runner-up honors on the 3-meter board at the NCAA Championship, good for All-America honors. Pozdniakova has been named C-USA Diver of the Week seven times in her career.

Shamburger was an All-Conference USA performer at the 2007 C-USA Championship. The Spring, Texas, native won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.36. The time was the second fastest in school history in that event. She was also a member of UH's third place 200-yard medley relay team.

San Juan Cisneros also nabbed All-America honors for the Mustangs as a member of their 200 free relay team at the NCAA Championship. In addition, the transfer from Spain was an All-Conference USA first team member with the Mustang 200 free relay team and holds the SMU top time in the 100-yard butterfly and has the third-best time in the 50 free. Van Katwijk claimed second place in the consolation finals on the platform at the NCAA Championship to claim All-America honors in her first NCAA appearance. The junior transfer from the Netherlands also earned All-Conference USA honors in 2007 on the platform.