DALLAS – Conference USA unveiled its 2022-23 Michael L. Slive Male and Female Athletes of the Year on Wednesday in UTEP’s
Victor Kibiego, who was the Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, and WKU’s
Lauren Matthews, who was selected as the Volleyball Player of the Year.
Kibiego was tabbed a First Team All-American in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a third-place showing (8:32.49) at NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas, while clocking a personal-best 8:26.80 in the 3000-meter at the West Prelims in Sacramento, Calif.
The redshirt freshman won gold in the 3000m, silver in the 5000m (14:08.37) and bronze in the 1500m (PR 3:44.59) at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Additionally, Kibiego placed first in the 5000m (PR 14:00.10) at the Bryan Clay and won the 3000s at the Willie Williams/Dave Murray.
Kibiego became the second consecutive UTEP student-athlete to earn Male Track Athlete of the Year (Jevaughn Powell) and the first male distance runner since Anthony Rotich in 2015
Matthews, a fifth-year middle hitter, was named the Volleyball Player of the Year for the third time in five seasons (2019, 2021, 2022). A three-time All-American, she grabbed Second-Team All-America honors for the second time in her career.
Matthews was tabbed the AVCA South Region Player of the Year for the third-straight season and garnered First-Team All-C-USA and C-USA All-Tournament honors for the fourth-straight year. She finished among the top-30 nationally in hitting percentage (.406), kills per set (4.21) and points per set (4.81). In conference play, Matthews led the league with 5.36 points per set.
She holds a conference-best of 30 kills in a single match against No. 22 Rice on November 10. Matthews was a two-time C-USA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week this season.
The 2022-23 slate marked the 20
th season that C-USA honored Male and Female Athletes of the Year, and the sixth that the awards have been named in remembrance of C-USA’s founding commissioner Mike Slive following his passing. The winners are determined by a vote of the conference’s Athletics Directors.
Conference USA Michael L. Slive Athletes of the Year
2022-23 Victor Kibiego, UTEP track & field/Lauren Matthews, WKU volleyball
2021-22 Bailey Zappe, WKU football/Grace Forbes, Rice cross country and track & field
2020-21 Vitor Dias, Marshall men’s soccer & Kigen Chemadi, Middle Tennessee track & field/
Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee women’s basketball
2019-20 Javion Hamlet, North Texas men’s basketball/Erica Ogwumike, Rice women’s basketball
2018-19 Jake Sanford, WKU baseball/ Erica Ogwumike, Rice women’s basketball
2017-18 Nick Sandlin, Southern Miss baseball/Alyssa Cavanaugh, WKU volleyball
2016-17 Emmanuel Korir, UTEP track & field/Morgan Zerkle, Marshall softball
2015-16 Brandon Doughty, WKU football/Kylee Hanson, Florida Atlantic softball
2014-15 Anthony Rotich, UTEP track & cross country/Miranda Kramer, WKU softball
2013-14 Anthony Rotich, UTEP track & cross country/Ebony Rowe, Middle Tennessee basketball
2012-13 Anthony Rotich, UTEP track & cross country/Aurieyall Scott, UCF track & field
2011-12 Case Keenum, Houston football/Camilla Carrera, UTEP softball
2010-11 Chad Zurcher, Memphis baseball/Tori Bowie, Southern Miss track & field
2009-10 Anthony Rendon, Rice baseball/Blessing Okagbare, UTEP track & field
2008-09 Jason Colwick, Rice track & field/
Toni Paisley, ECU softball & Sara Radosevic, Tulane volleyball
2007-08 Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis basketball/Angel Shamblin, Houston softball
2006-07 Joe Savery, Rice baseball/Ebonie Floyd, Houston track & field
2005-06 Brad Lincoln, Houston baseball & DeAngelo Williams, Memphis football/
Jillian Robbins, Tulsa basketball
2004-05 Lance Broadway, TCU baseball/Sandora Irvin, TCU basketball
2003-04 Michael Kogan, Tulane tennis/Chandi Jones, Houston basketball