SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Leita Rolfe and Emilie Kluth of The University of South Dakota were selected as the North Central Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Athletes of the Week, according to an announcement today by the league office. Rolfe received the women's swimming award while Kluth was honored for women's diving. USD has dominated the NCC weekly awards for swimming and diving in 2007-08. Rolfe (Sr., Newcastle, Wyo.) received her fourth weekly honor this season while the Coyote squad has picked up NCC swimming awards in six of eight weeks. Kluth (Sr., Columbus, Neb.) won her second women's diving honor this season while USD has received four of the eight NCC women's diving awards. Rolfe won two individual events, including breaking a 22-year old record in the 200 freestyle, to help the Coyotes defeat Nebraska-Omaha, 162-138, in dual action on Dec. 16 at the DakotaDome Pool. The Coyotes, ranked second by CollegeSwimming.com in the dual power rankings in NCAA DII, improved to 6-1 on the season. Rolfe set pool (meters) and school (meters) records in winning the 200 freestyle in 2:08.88. She broke the school and pool mark of 2:09.05 which was set by Lorie Kappenman of USD in 1985. Rolfe also won the 200 breaststroke in 2:42.90 and narrowly missed eclipsing her own school record of 2:42.33. Rolfe was also a member of the winning 200 medley relay which finished in 2:01.59.

Rolfe, who now has earned eight career NCC weekly swimming honors, is a three-time All-American who has 11 honorable mention All-American honors. Earlier this season, Rolfe was named the National Swimmer of the Week for Division II by CollegeSwimming.com. Kluth, who earned her third career NCC weekly diving award, broke the school and pool record in winning the three-meter diving competition in the dual win over UNO on Dec. 16. Kluth set a new USD mark with 295.50 points on the 3M board. She broke teammate Jill Smolczyk's school record of 288 points and Smolczyk's pool mark of 269.15 points in 3-meter diving. In addition, Kluth finished second (behind Smolczyk) in one-meter diving with a total of 281.40 points.

Last season, Kluth earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division II nationals. The USD women's swimming and diving team will next compete on Jan. 12 in a double dual with Nebraska-Omaha and Truman State in Omaha, Neb.