​One Tulane Green Wave swimmer has received an incredible honor from the American Conference.On Wednesday, Olcaytu Hatipoglu was named the female recipient of the American Conference Commissioner’s Postgraduate Leadership Award.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe award is presented each year to one male and one female student-athlete from an American Conference team who has shown incredible leadership capabilities and has achieved plenty in the classroom. Additionally, award-winners must be admitted to a degree-granting or professional program for the upcoming year and demonstrate exemplary achievement in academics, athletics and service. As an award-winner, Hatipoglu will receive a $5,000 scholarship, which she will put towards her postgraduate studies in Durham, North Carolina, as she joins the Duke Blue Devils as part of their PhD program in biomedical engineering.In her time with the Green Wave, Hatipoglu was a committed member of a strong swimming and diving program. She was a key part of the tenth-ranked all-time Tulane 200-meter medley relay team and was recognized for academic achievement as a 2026 College Sports Communicators All-District selection. She has also been named to the American Conference All-Academic Team in each of the last three years.The native of Edirne, Turkey, excelled in freestyle races. She also claimed league titles in the 2024-2025 season as part of the 400-meter medley relay team and the 200-meter freestyle relay team. Both times set in those races were school records.In the 2025-2026 season, Hatipoglu helped her team to a fifth-place finish at the 2026 American Conference Swimming Championship. The team saw five student-athletes reach the podium: Lisa Coetzee won the 200-meter freestyle and finished in second in the 500-meter freestyle, Varvara Gkiouzepa Petropoulou was the runner-up in the 200-meter butterfly and Eliza Lennox finished in third place in the 100-meter freestyle. Additionally, the 800-meter relay team consisting of Coetzee, Phoebe Johnson, Rafaela Sumida and Andrea Zeebe earned third-place honors.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe program has maintained plenty of momentum in the offseason. Tulane named Kat Mueller as an Assistant Swimming Coach in early May, then added Richard Marschner as the team’s Head Diving Coach just a few weeks later. Eight new student-athletes have signed to join the team heading into next year: Emma Barr, Kaylee Daniell, Audrey Deras Tamara Elekes, Maddie Emment, Lieve Geelen, Fiona Keilly and Franchesca Sanchez.The Green Wave will continue to work and strengthen ahead of what’s expected to be another exciting season with some key returns. Events will begin in October and run through early March.