Bio

With 20 Athletes of the Month recognized at the banquet, it was not easy to pick a Male and Female Athlete of the Year. However, this year's winners were sophomore men's tennis player Takeshi Taco and volleyball athlete Iva Halacheva.

Halacheva came to Cowley from Plovdiv, Bulgaria where she was an accomplished volleyball player. She continued her success at Cowley where she became the school's all-time leader in numerous categories.

Recording the second-most kills in a single season, she helped Cowley end this past season with a record of 41-1 and finish as the national runner-up.

Halacheva ranks first in Cowley history on the career kills list, first on the career kills per set list, fifth on the career hitting percentage list, fourth on the career service aces list, third on the single-season list for kills, third on the single-season list for hitting percentage, 11thon the single-season list for service aces, and first on the single-match list for kills.

She is a three-time First Team NJCAA All-American, two-time AVCA All-American and garnered six All-American honors during her three years at Cowley. She was the August Female Athlete of the Month and signed to play volleyball at NCAA Division I Missouri State University.

"Cowley has been my home for the past three years and it means so much that I have been voted Female Athlete of the Year," Halacheva said. "This award is not mine, it's my teammates and coaches because I couldn't have done it without them."