DETROIT -- For the first time since the Detroit Athletic Club instituted the Michigan College Athlete of the Year Award in 2006, a Wayne State University student-athlete has been selected.  Senior swimmer Catherine Leix (Flint, Mich. / Southwestern) becomes just the second Division II recipient (male or female) in the seven-year history of the award joining Hillsdale's Katie Cezat (2009).

Leix swam the second leg of the 2012 national champion 800 Freestyle Relay which also set a school record.  In addition, she was a First Team All-America in the 500 Free, 1000 Free and 1650 Free, as well as earning honorable mention All-America accolades in the 200 Free.  WSU captured its first team national title since 1989 as the women's swimming and diving edged three-time defending national champion Drury last March.

At the 2012 GLIAC Championships, she won her second straight conference title in both 500 Free and 1650 Free, and placed second in the 200 free.  Leix swam the third leg on the 800 free relay championship team, which broke the all-time GLIAC record set three years ago.  Her 500 free time broke the GLIAC Championship meet record time established in 1991.

She was also the WSU Department of Athletics Deans' Award winner in 2012 from the College of Education for having the highest cumulative grade-point average among all student-athletes in that particular college.

Leix concluded her collegiate career as a 16-time All-American (11 first team – nine individual and two relays, plus five time honorable mention All-American – four individual and one relay) and was a four-time GLIAC All-Academic Team selection earning All-Academic Excellence accolades the last two years.  She had a perfect 4.00 term gpa six times and was voted to the 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large First Team.

A 2012 graduate with a degree in science education secondary along with a minor in biology, Leix had a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average.