MIAMI – Track and field's Michaelle Valentin and football's Eric Rivers have been named FIU's 2024-25 Student-Athletes of the Year, while women's soccer earned the distinction of FIU Athletics Team of the Year, as announced Friday afternoon.

Valentin and Rivers received FIU's highest individual athletic honor after earning both conference and national recognition for their performances, including All-America honors.

FIU Women's Soccer earned Team of the Year after a historic campaign in 2024, capturing its first-ever Conference USA Regular Season and Tournament titles and making the program's third appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Valentin was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year for the third straight season, capping off a decorated career in the Blue & Gold. The graduate student earned First Team All-America honors for the first time after qualifying for the finals in the discus at the 2025 NCAA Championships. The Apopka, Fla. native was also named the 2025 Conference USA Field Athlete of the Year.

She became the first-ever FIU track & field athlete in the Conference USA era to earn an Athlete of the Year award. Valentin racked up six CUSA Field Athlete of the Week honors during the year — three in the indoor season and three outdoors. The Haitian national concludes her Panther career as a three-time outdoor All-American in the discus, adding 2025 First Team honors to Second Team selections in 2023 and 2024. She also earned Second Team All-America honors in the hammer throw in 2024 and weight throw during the 2025 indoor season.

Rivers delivered a standout senior season, setting the FIU single-season record with 1,172 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns — both leading Conference USA. For his performance, he was named First Team All-CUSA and became the first FIU football player to earn Associated Press All-America honors.

He finished the year ranked fifth nationally in receiving yards and fourth in touchdown receptions. His 12 touchdown grabs were also a new single-season school record. Rivers recorded five 100-yard receiving games, including a remarkable 295-yard performance against New Mexico State — the second-highest single-game total in FBS for the 2024 season.

Women's soccer wrapped up one of the most successful seasons in program history with 13 wins — tied for the second-most all-time — and both CUSA regular season and tournament championships. The Panthers clinched the tournament title with a win over Liberty in the championship match.

Noemi Paquin led the way as the CUSA Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, scoring 15 goals — the most by a Panther since 2001 and sixth-most in a single season in program history. She finished top-15 nationally in goals scored.
 
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