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MIAC announces 2023 spring sport Elite 22 winners

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) recognized some of its best and brightest spring-sport student-athletes on Wednesday with the announcement of the baseball, softball, tennis, and outdoor track & field Elite 22 Awards.
 
Saint John's senior Hunter Fischer and Saint Benedict senior Maria Bedford received the award for men's and women's tennis, respectively; Saint John's junior Carter Grove and Bethel junior Annessa Ihde were the recipients in outdoor track & field; St. Catherine senior Julia Azure received the award in softball and Bethel junior Matthew Carlsen received baseball's Elite 22 award.
 
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 his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her 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 playoff tournaments, including tennis, baseball, and softball, 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 championship meet sports, including outdoor 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.
 
Azure (Sr. | Lino Lakes, Minn. | Centennial) finished the 2023 season with 28 hits, 14 RBI, and 11 runs scored in 22 conference games for the Wildcats. She batted .312 overall in 39 starts, driving home 20 runs on 39 hits and collecting seven extra-base hits on the season. Working towards a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, Azure is a 4.0 student and one of St. Catherine's 2023 class valedictorians.
 
Bedford (Sr. | St. Paul, Minn. | Cretin-Derham Hall) went 14-3 overall and 7-3 in MIAC play during the 2022-23 season. She set a CSB record by starting the season with 12 straight singles wins. Bedford has a 4.0 while majoring in Computer Science at Saint Benedict.
 
Carlsen (Jr. | Miltona, Minn. | Alexandria) collected 34 hits and drove in 14 runs while crossing home plate 25 times in 20 MIAC games for the Royals this season. Overall, he batted .388 with 69 hits, 33 RBI, and 49 runs scored in 44 starts for the MIAC Playoff champs. He has a 3.9 GPA while majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Bethel. He was also the 2022 Elite 22 recipient for baseball.
 
Fischer (Sr. | Spicer, Minn. | Willmar) picked up seven wins in both singles and doubles play this season. Fischer was also an All-MIAC honoree in doubles play in 2022. He is a pre-medicine biology major at Saint John's with a 4.0 GPA.
 
Grove (Jr. | Osakis, Minn.) earned a pair of All-Conference honors at the 2023 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, placing second in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:59.39 and helping the Johnnies' 4x800-meter relay team take first with a time of 7:48.82. Grove has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in computer science at Saint John's. He was also the indoor track & field Elite 22 recipient this past winter.
 
Ihde (Jr. | Appleton, Wis. | North) collected All-MIAC honors at the 2023 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, placing third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:15.58. She added an honorable mention distinction in the 1500-meter run with a fifth-place finish at 4:43.07. Ihde has a 4.0 GPA while majoring in International Relations and Spanish at Bethel. She has also been the indoor track & field Elite 22 recipient each of the last two years.
 
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 |