FORT MYERS, Fla. – Coming off another extremely successful season which brought FGCU nine conference regular-season or postseason championships and several individual records, athletic department officials have named Emma Svensson, Tabby Tindell and Whitney Knight as co-winners of the 2014-15 Most Outstanding Female Student-Athlete Award and Jordi Vives and Nick Rivera as the co-winners of the Most Outstanding Male Student-Athlete Award.
 
Swimming standout Svensson (Uppsala, Sweden/Celsiusskolan) and tennis stalwart Vives (Barcelona, Spain/IES Ferran Tallada/USC) conclude their illustrious careers in the Green and Blue with one final honor, with Svensson giving the swimming and diving program a representative for the second-straight year (Kira Toussaint). Vives (2014) becomes the first male in FGCU Athletics history to be named a two-time recipient of the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, joining women's basketball's Sarah Hansen (2012, '13) and Kate Schrader (2006, '07) and softball's Kelly Powe (2004, '05).
 
It marks the second-consecutive year that baseball and tennis student-athletes have shared the male award as Rivera (Cape Coral, Fla./Bishop Verot HS) represents the baseball program one year after Mike Murray. Meanwhile, Tindell (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS) becomes the first women's soccer player to win the award as up until 2013-14 only softball or basketball players had claimed the female award. Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds HS) continues the tradition of excellence in the award for women's basketball as she is now the sixth-different student-athlete from Karl Smesko's program honored and eighth overall – tied with baseball for the most in the history of the award.
 
In keeping with the history-setting trend of the award and a testament to the quality student-athletes FGCU Athletics is developing, 2014-15 marks the second-straight year that co-winners for each gender have been awarded – something not done prior to 2013-14. Additionally, the five recipients are the most in a single year in the history of the award.
 
The award honors the best FGCU male and female student-athlete(s) for the previous academic year. It has been handed out since 2002-03 – FGCU Athletics first year as an NCAA member (Division I since 2007-08) – and the award is presented annually at the "Welcome Back Picnic" in August. All nominees (included at the end of this release) have either earned All-Conference First Team honors or better in their respective sport.
 
JORDI VIVES
Vives repeated as Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2015 while also leading the Eagles to their best season with an A-Sun Championship and first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Playing out of the No. 1 slot in 2015 A-Sun Coach of the Year CJ Weber's lineup, Vives was also named to the A-Sun First Team and A-Sun Second Team for doubles play. Furthermore, Vives earned a spot on the A-Sun Academic All-Conference Team for the third year in a row in 2015.
 
"I'm so glad to achieve this prestigious award after a rough start in the fall," said Vives, who missed most of the fall with a wrist injury. "I want to say thank you to my coaches, teammates and trainer (Alyssa Romasco). It's also further proof and recognition that as a men's tennis program we are heading in the right direction."
 
The team's co-captain, Vives finished the spring dual season with a 16-3 record on the doubles court to go along with his impressive 19-2 mark on the singles court. Vives went a perfect 6-0 against A-Sun opponents, and in the conference tournament led the way again en route to being named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Barcelona native made history this past year by becoming the first player to win 100 total matches for the Green and Blue, posting 123 wins (47 doubles, 76 singles) in his FGCU career. He also became the winningest singles player in FGCU D-I history this season with 76 victories as the transfer from USC surpassed former great and current assistant coach Dean Tsamas (62).

Vives, FGCU's first nationally-ranked D-I player, finished last season ranked No. 45 in the country. In September, he received a personal-best preseason ranking of No. 35 before being ranked as high as No. 107 this past spring.
 
"This is another incredible honor for Jordi to wrap up his career at FGCU!" exclaimed Weber. "Jordi helped change the face of our program, and we will feel the effects of his contributions for many years to come. Players and recruits view FGCU differently because of who Jordi is both on and off the court. I'm very excited about his future, and I know he will be successful regardless of what direction he chooses to pursue in his professional life."
 
EMMA SVENSSON
Inducted into the FGCU Hall of Fame this spring, the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete Award for Svensson caps a brilliant career in and out of the pool. The Swede graduated in May with a 3.89 GPA as an economics major and an honors student at the same time. She set multiple program records in the water, and was a co-recipient of the prestigious Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award this past year.
 
"I am very honored to have been selected for this award," stated Svensson. "Any chance in which I can represent FGCU Athletics – and what a great group of people the program has onboard, including staff, teammates and coaches – means the world to me. I feel honored to receive an award together with Whitney and Tabby, as they are amazing student-athletes and great people."
 
This past season, the Swedish standout continued her spree of shattering records at the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) Championship meet, breaking her own mark in the 50 free with a CCSA- and FGCU-program record time of 21.98. She was named CCSA Women's Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championship Meet.
 
At the NCAA Championships, she scored FGCU's first points at the meet, placing 12th in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.12. Svensson also helped the Eagles earn their first-ever points in a relay event when the 200-yard team touched the pads in a time of 1:37.55 to finish eighth, helping FGCU wrap up with a program-best and mid-major high 26th in the nation.
 
Recently, Svensson was named as the CCSA's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She is one of 57 D-I nominees nationwide, with the top 10 selected in early September. Now in its 25th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award recognizes graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. Svensson became the team's captain in 2013 and was a mainstay on FGCU's President List for the last four years. She was a research assistant for the FGCU Honors Program last year while having a concentration on the Eurozone crisis and finding business applications of calculus and behavioral economics.
 
"I am delighted for Emma," added five-time CCSA Coach of the Year Neal Studd. "It's an award she has yet to win – maybe the only one she has never won! She will be delighted too that someone from the swimming and diving program has been recognized with the honor in back-to-back years. I am so happy that as she leaves FGCU she finally gets this prestigious award. We will miss her so much in all areas of the program – classroom, pool and leadership. She is such a special person that we named a team award after her this year."
 
NICK RIVERA
A 2015 MLB Draft Pick, Rivera was selected by the Houston Astros in the 38th Round last month after a junior campaign at FGCU in which he topped all A-Sun players in nearly every offensive category. An A-Sun First Team selection this year, Rivera was a Louisville Slugger All-American and two-time A-Sun Player of the Week after hitting a career-best .347 with a D-I program record 70 RBI.
 
"I want to thank my coaches and my teammates, because without them I couldn't have received this honor," commented Rivera. "With all the great athletes at FGCU, it's truly humbling for me and Jordi to be recognized as the two male recipients."
 
Rivera was the 25th player in the program's 13-year history to be drafted and the third in 2015. By being named a Louisville Slugger All-American, he joins Chris Sale, Murray and Jake Noll as the only All-Americans in FGCU history.
 
He became the 11th player in program history to hit 10 home runs in a single season and collected 20 doubles for the second-straight year, which give him 42 for his career to rank ninth in program history. Rivera scored 34 runs and slugged .608 this past year while also walking 40 times to produce an on-base percentage of .458. He also built a career-best hitting streak of 16 games and accumulated a streak of 26 consecutive games reaching base at one point.
 
"Our program is honored to have Nick named a Most Outstanding Student-Athlete," said four-time A-Sun Coach of the Year Dave Tollett. "What a great honor for him and our program. Nick is such a fine representation of FGCU Athletics. He has worked so hard to become the player he is. He has overcome more than any athlete I have ever coached in 28 years in the business. I can't say enough about this young man and how proud he makes our program. He is such a blessing and a role model to all the people around him."
 
TABBY TINDELL
Beginning her junior campaign next month, Tindell has already established herself as the preeminent offensive threat in program history, and one of the best in the nation. Tindell was named the 2014 A-Sun Player of the Year while also landing on the A-Sun First Team and A-Sun Academic All-Conference Team. She was tabbed as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Southeast Region Second Team selection, was a three-time TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week member and three-time A-Sun Player of the Week.
 
"I am very excited and honored at the same time to be selected for this great award," stated Tindell. "It's an accomplishment I could not have achieved without the support and help from my teammates and my coaches. This wouldn't have been possible without their constant support and motivation."
 
Tindell led the nation last year in game-winning goals with 11 and ranked in the top-five in the country in four other offensive categories: points (48 – 3rd), goals (20 – 3rd), points per game (2.40 – 4th) and goals per game (1.000 – 4th). Her 20 goals and 48 points both led the A-Sun by wide margins, and both were also FGCU single-season records.
 
She has already set the FGCU all-time goals record with 35 in her career, and is second only to Shannen Wacker (83) with 82 points. Tindell also showed her distribution skills by handing out eight assists in 2014, which ranked second in the A-Sun behind Wacker's 15.
 
Tindell collected 12 points against A-Sun opponents in 2014 with five goals and a pair of assists. During the Eagles' record 11-game winning streak she tallied at least one point in each match. Tindell – who TopDrawerSoccer.com named as the No. 92 player in the nation – was a key reason why FGCU hosted its first NCAA Tournament match following another A-Sun Championship title.
 
"It's a great recognition for Tabby and an honor to have her represent the women's soccer team," added three-time defending A-Sun Coach of the Year Jim Blankenship, who was recently named the No. 6 coach in the nation. "She is truly a special person and player. Her performance on the field last year was exciting, and the accolades were impressive, but we believe her best is still to come."
 
WHITNEY KNIGHT
One of the most versatile players in the nation, Knight helped lead FGCU to its most successful season in D-I program history this past year as the Eagles posted a 31-3 record and claimed their first D-I NCAA Tournament victory. Knight was named A-Sun Player of the Year as the redshirt junior finished the season averaging 14.8 points per game with 6.4 rebounds per contest and a 43.7-percent shooting mark.
 
"I'm truly thankful and honored to be recognized as one of the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete Award winners," said Knight. "I'm grateful for everyone who has helped me develop as an athlete and get better each year, including my coaches, teammates, trainers and strength and conditioning coaches. I'm proud to represent FGCU as a student-athlete and will strive to continue to represent FGCU in a positive way."
 
Knight – who was invited to try out for Team USA as part of this month's Pan American Games – led FGCU in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage, in addition to blocks (87) and steals (66) as she started all 34 contests last year. With 91 makes from the perimeter, Knight paced the league in 3-point shooting and ranked seventh in the nation in 3-point percentage at 41.2. She also topped the league in blocks and stood as the only player in the nation to lead a conference in both categories. Her block total ranked in the top-30 nationally, proving the 6-3 guard's versatility on the court.
 
She also finished the season ranked second in the league in steals and dished out 58 assists to rank in the top-20. She also finished in the top-10 in field-goal percentage, rebounds and free-throw percentage. Knight scored double figures in all but six games this season with 15 or more points on 19 occasions. She recorded a career-high 28 points in a win over Clemson in the U.S. Virgin Islands in November and pulled down a season-best 11 rebounds twice. Knight tallied five double-doubles on the year and was named A-Sun Player of the Week for her performances four times.
 
"Whitney had a tremendous season, and she has improved each year at FGCU," concluded five-time defending A-Sun Coach of the Year Smesko. "She is one of the best shooters in the nation. She is also one of the most versatile players in the country."
 
Below is a complete list of all the 2014-15 Most Outstanding Student-Athlete Award nominees, in addition to a list of all-time winners.
 
MALE
Nick Rivera – Baseball
Brett Comer – Basketball
Aaron Guillen – Soccer
Nathan Ingham – Soccer
Rodrigo Saravia – Soccer
Jordi Vives – Tennis
Michael Beiler – Tennis
Ricky Ventura – Tennis
Jake Sherwin – Golf
 
FEMALE
Kaneisha Atwater – Basketball
Whitney Knight – Basketball
Emma Blackwell – Soccer
Brittany Brown – Soccer
Shannen Wacker – Soccer
Paulina Speckmaier – Soccer
Tabby Tindell – Soccer
Ally Kasun – Soccer
Lani Cabrera – Swimming & Diving
Emma Svensson – Swimming & Diving
Katie Armitage – Swimming & Diving
Rebecca Derogatis – Swimming & Diving
Kira Toussaint – Swimming & Diving
Nina Schiffer – Swimming & Diving
Kristin Julien – Swimming & Diving
Yee Wong – Swimming & Diving
Sarah Means – Tennis
Johanna Sterkel – Tennis
Elenora Kazarian – Volleyball
Olivia Mesner – Volleyball
Gigi Meyer – Volleyball
 
FGCU MOST OUTSTANDING STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD WINNERS
2014-15 – Jordi Vives (M. Tennis)/Nick Rivera (Baseball) & Emma Svensson (Swimming & Diving)/Tabby Tindell (W. Soccer)/Whitney Knight (W. Basketball)
2013-14 – Mike Murray (Baseball)/Jordi Vives (M. Tennis) & Kira Toussaint (Swimming)/Kelly Perzanowski (W. Cross Country)
2012-13 – Sherwood Brown (M. Basketball) & Sarah Hansen (W. Basketball)
2011-12 – Ricky Knapp (Baseball) & Sarah Hansen (W. Basketball) 
2010-11 – Adam Glick (M. Soccer) & Shannon Murphy (W. Basketball)/Courtney Platt (Softball) 
2009-10 – Chris Sale (Baseball) & Chelsea Lyles (W. Basketball) 
2008-09 – Josh Upchurch (Baseball) & Cheyenne Jenks (Softball) 
2007-08 – Jason Peacock (Baseball) & Carmen Paez (Softball) 
2006-07 – Beau Bauer (M. Basketball) & Kate Schrader (W. Basketball) 
2005-06 – Juan Carlos Osorio (Men's Tennis)/Jason Louwsma (Baseball) & Kate Schrader (W. Basketball) 
2004-05 – Bryan Crislip (M. Basketball)/Richard Stempnowski (M. Tennis) & Kelly Powe (Softball) 
2003-04 – Leighton Bowie (M. Basketball) & Kelly Powe (Softball) 
2002-03 – Chris Brown (Baseball) & Trish Fleming (W. Basketball)
 
#WeAreFGCU
In just eight years as a Division-I member, FGCU has won a combined 45 conference regular season and tournament titles as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference and Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association. In just four years of D-I postseason eligibility, FGCU has made 20 total NCAA Championship appearances. Ticket information for upcoming events is available by calling 239.590.7145. Additional news and schedule information is available at FGCUAthletics.com. Follow us on Twitter (@FGCUEagles), Facebook (/FGCUAthletics), Instagram (@FGCUAthletics) and YouTube (/FGCUAthletics).
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.