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MIAC announces 2022 fall sport Elite 22 winners

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) recognized some of its best and brightest fall sport student-athletes on Wednesday with the announcement of the golf, cross country, soccer, volleyball, and football Elite 22 Awards.
 
Saint John's Nate Loxtercamp and St. Olaf's Sydney Monge were the recipients of the men's and women's golf Elite 22 awards, with Saint John's runner Tommy Allen joining Saint Benedict's Fiona Smith as the award recipients for men's and women's cross country. Soccer's Elite 22 awards went to Saint John's Aidan Becken and Macalester's Julia Kispert, while Bethel's Marley Webb and Jackson Kirchoff were awarded in volleyball and football, respectively.
 
The MIAC Elite 22 Award recognizes the true essence of the term "student-athlete" by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. Modeled after the NCAA Elite 90 Award, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in each sport who meets similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements.
 
In all sports with MIAC team postseason tournaments, including volleyball and soccer, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the individual with the highest GPA on the active postseason roster of a playoff-qualifying team. The MIAC Elite 22 Football Award is presented to the individual nominated for the honor with the highest GPA who helped their team reach the MIAC championship game. For cross country, the honor is bestowed upon the individual with the highest GPA among the top-15 individual finishers at the conference championship meet, while the accolade in golf is presented to the individual with the highest GPA among the top-10 individual finishers at the MIAC Championships. Each winner must be a junior or senior and in at least their second full academic year at their current institution. Ties are broken by the number of credits earned.
 
Allen (Jr. | Woodbury, Minn. | St. Paul Academy) placed 13th overall at the 2022 MIAC Cross Country Championships with an 8K time of 25:48. Allen maintains a 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in biochemistry at Saint John's.
 
Becken (Sr. | Prior Lake, Minn.) started all ten MIAC games for the Johnnies in 2022, leading the team with a pair of game-winning goals in conference play. The biology major has a 4.0 GPA at Saint John's.
 
Kirchoff (Jr. | Hastings, Minn.) caught eight passes for 84 yards in five games for the Royals this year. He has a 3.97 GPA while majoring in business at Bethel.
 
Kispert (Sr. | Atherton, Calif. | Menlo-Atherton) started every conference game for the Scots this season, scoring two goals and assisting on another in conference play. She has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in computer science at Macalester.
 
Loxtercamp (Jr. | Richmond, Minn. | Melrose) became the 13th Johnnie to earn medalist honors at the MIAC Golf Championships with a three-round total of 210 (-6) in October. He has a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in accounting at SJU.
 
Monge (Jr. | Minnetonka, Minn.) placed tenth overall at the 2022 MIAC Golf Championships with a three-round score of 234 (+15). She has a 3.68 GPA while majoring in biology at St. Olaf.
 
Smith (Jr. | Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) won the women's 6K race at the 2022 MIAC Cross Country Championships with a time of 21:14 – good for a 14-second margin of victory and three seconds shy of the all-time MIAC record. She has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in mathematics at Saint Benedict.
 
Webb (Jr. | Blaine, Minn. | Totino Grace) hit .250 in conference matches this season and contributed one kill in her two varsity appearances. Webb is a business major with a 3.98 GPA at Bethel.
 
A physical award will be provided to the winners to commemorate their MIAC Elite 22 Award. The conference also recognizes past honorees on the MIAC Elite 22 Award web page.
 
| 2022-23 MIAC Elite 22 Award | Elite 22 Home Page |