DALLAS (May 11, 2021) - The 2021 Softball All-Conference USA Awards were released on Tuesday, as Venessa Gallegos, Jessica Rivera and Kayla Whitehead were honored by the league for their play this season. 

For the full C-USA release, click here. 

Gallegos was honored by the league with first team laurels, while Rivera and Whitehead collected second team honors. The honors were first for Gallegos and Whitehead, while the recognition was Rivera's second of her Panther career. 

Gallegos had her best year as a Panther in 2021, leading the team in batting average (.352), hits (43) and RBI (33). The junior second baseman earned C-USA Hitter of the Week twice in 2021, while earning seven games with multiple RBI. The highlight of 2021 for Gallegos came in FIU's 11-8 win over Charlotte, as she was a double-shy of hitting for the cycle and earned seven RBI. 

Rivera ranked third on the team in batting average (.302), while earning the second-most hits (39) and RBI (32) on the team. Rivera blasted eight homers on the year, which was the sixth-most in the conference in 2021. 

Whitehead had her best year at the plate as well, with the first baseman earning the second-highest batting average on the team (.311) and third-highest for hits (37) and RBI (19). Whitehead excelled at extra-base hits, with the junior earning a team-best 10 doubles and four triples. The 10 doubles ranked sixth in the league, while her four triples ranked as the second-most in C-USA. 

SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUSoftball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.