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MIAC announces 2022-23 winter-sport Elite 22 award recipients

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) recognized some of its best and brightest winter-sport student-athletes on Friday with the announcement of the basketball, hockey, swimming & diving, and indoor track & field Elite 22 Awards.
 
Saint John's Ryan Thissen and Hamline’s Larisa O’Neil were the recipients of the men's and women's basketball Elite 22 awards, with St. Olaf's Lukas Haugen and Augsburg’s Payton Allen earning hockey honors. The swimming & diving Elite 22 awards went to Saint John’s Jack Grabinski and St. Catherine's Sammi Friedrich, while Saint John's Carter Grove and Bethel's Annessa Ihde were honored in indoor track & field.
 
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 basketball and hockey, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the individual with the highest GPA on the active postseason roster of a playoff-qualifying team. In swimming & diving and indoor track & field, the winner is the individual with the highest GPA who was named All-Conference. 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 (Sr. | St. Michael, Minn. | St. Michael-Albertville) blocked 15 shots and tallied three goals and 10 assists from her defender position for the MIAC runner-up Auggies. Off the ice, she has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in exercise science at Augsburg.
 
Friedrich (Jr. | Ham Lake, Minn. | Blaine) earned All-MIAC honors after placing third overall in the 1650 freestyle at the 2023 MIAC Swimming & Diving Championships, touching the wall in 18:01.94. She has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in occupational therapy at St. Catherine. Friedrich also won Elite 22 honors in 2021-22.
 
Grabinski (Sr. | Sauk Rapids, Minn. | Sauk Rapids-Rice) won the MIAC title in the 1-meter diving competition at the 2023 MIAC Swimming & Diving Championships with a score of 503.85. He has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in biology and environmental studies at Saint John’s.
 
Grove (Jr. | Osakis, Minn.) placed third overall in the 5000-meter run at the 2023 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, earning All-MIAC honors with a time of 14:59.90. He has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in computer science at Saint John’s
 
Haugen (Jr. | Excelsior, Minn.) went 6-2-1 in-goal for the Oles this season, stopping 215 pucks along the way with a save percentage of .908. He has a 4.0 grade-point average as an economics major at St. Olaf. Haugen also won Elite 22 honors in 2021-22.
 
Ihde (Jr. Appleton, Wis. | North) picked up a trio of All-Conference honors at the 2023 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, placing third in the 600-meter run (1:36.31), second in the 800-meter run (2:15.11), and first as part of the Royals’ 4x400-meter relay team (3:58.67). She is majoring in international relations and Spanish and has a 4.0 GPA at Bethel. Ihde also won Elite 22 honors in 2021-22.
 
O’Neil (Jr. | Rosemount, Minn.) played in all 27 games for the Pipers this season, leading the team from long range with 49 three-pointers to help Hamline to the MIAC playoff semifinals. O’Neil has a 3.97 GPA while majoring in communication at Hamline.
 
Thissen (Jr. | Rosemount, Minn. | Eastview) earned All-MIAC honors on the court this season after leading the Johnnies in scoring (18.1 ppg), minutes (34.9 mpg), and steals (22). He has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in biochemistry at Saint John’s. Thissen also won Elite 22 honors in 2021-22.
 
A physical award will be provided to the winners to commemorate their MIAC Elite 22 Award. The conference also recognizes the honorees on the MIAC Elite 22 Award website, which archives each of the winners throughout the academic year.
 
| 2022-23 MIAC Elite 22 Award | Elite 22 Home Page |