DENVER – University of Hawai'i diver Emma Friesen has been named the women's recipient of the 2010-11 Western Athletic Conference Joe Kearney Award. Friesen wins her second Kearney award and the eighth overall for Hawai'i. Named in honor of former WAC commissioner Joe Kearney, the awards are given annually to the top male and female student-athletes in the WAC.
Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the male recipient of the award.
Emma Friesen previously received the Joe Kearney award after the 2007-08 season. In her four years diving for UH, Friesen qualified for the NCAA National Championships every year she competed. She is a three-time all-American and the first four-time WAC champion on the 1-meter board. In addition to her successes in the pool, Friesen also managed to earn a 3.38 GPA during the four seasons she competed.
Friesen is a two-time WAC Diver of the Year and was twice named to the WAC all-academic team. In 2011, she finished seventh nationally on the 1-meter. To finish out her career at UH, Friesen won the Jack Bonham Award (female division), an award given to a UH student-athlete for outstanding performances on and off the field.
"[Friesen] had an excellent career at UH, always responding to injury and adversity with great performances," said UH diving coach
Mike Brown. "Emma is a remarkable athlete who could turn it on at any time and was the name and face of Rainbow diving during her time here. She represented our program as well as any of our athletes, and it was a pleasure to coach her during her time at the University of Hawai'i."
Friesen has also proven herself on the international stage. A native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, she finished fifth overall in the 3-meter board at the 2008 Canadian Olympic trials. The following year, she placed sixth in the 1-meter board at the 2009 World University games in Belgrade, Serbia.
“Emma has been an outstanding scholar-athlete representative for the State of Hawai'i and our university,” praised UH Senior Women's Administrator
Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano. “Her athletic ability and talent as a diver has brought much attention to our program and kept it in contention for a conference championship. Emma also knew how important her academics were to her success as a person, and valued the relationships and her experience as a Rainbow Wahine.”
UH's Joe Kearney Award Recipients
2009-10 Amber Kaufman, Volleyball/Track & Field
2007-08 Emma Friesen, Diving
2006-07 Colt Brennan, Football
Kanoe Kamana'o, Volleyball
2005-06 Kanoe Kamana'o, Volleyball
2003-04 Kim Willoughby, Volleyball
2002-03 Kim Willoughby, Volleyball/Basketball
-UH-
