ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) recognized the winners of a prestigious
conference honor at Saturday's MIAC Playoff championship games in
volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer. St. Thomas' Whitney
Lloyd (volleyball), Saint John's Dylan Lehrer (men's soccer) and
Concordia's Marta Prosinski (women's soccer) were all honored for
their combined athletic and academic achievement with the MIAC
Elite 22 Award.
The MIAC Elite 22 Award recognizes the true essence of the
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 89 Award, the
MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the student-athlete with
the highest grade point average (GPA) in each sport who meet
similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements.
In all sports with MIAC team postseason tournaments, the MIAC
Elite 22 Award is presented to the individual with the highest GPA
on the active roster at the MIAC Playoff championship contest. The
winner must be a sophomore, junior or senior and in at least his or
her second season of competition with their current team.
Lloyd helped the second-seeded Tommies win their third-straight
MIAC Volleyball Playoff championship thanks to
tournament wins over No. 3 Saint Benedict (3-1) and top-seeded
Augsburg (3-0), and her outstanding 3.93 GPA combined with her
team's postseason success to result in her Elite 22 selection.
Lloyd is a sophomore middle blocker from Stewartville, Minn., with
a double major in Biochemistry and Biology. She had five kills and
four blocks in the semifinal win over the Blazers, and added three
kills and two blocks in Saturday's Playoff championship victory
over the Auggies.
Lehrer and the Johnnies won two games in a little over 24 hours
to reach the MIAC Men's Soccer Playoff championship game for the
second-straight season, and he received the Elite 22 award as a
result of his perfect 4.0 GPA. Lehrer is a sophomore defender from
Prior Lake, Minn., and a double major in Biology and Computer
Science. Lehrer started all three games and helped No. 4 SJU score
a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Macalester and a 4-1 upset of
top-seeded St. Olaf to reach the title game, where the Johnnies
lost a 2-0 decision to No. 2 Gustavus.
Prosinski and the second-seeded Cobbers used a thrilling
semifinal shootout win to reach the MIAC Women's
Soccer Playoff championship game, and her perfect 4.0 GPA
coupled with her team's performance to result in her selection as
the Elite 22 Award winner. Prosinski is a senior midfielder and
Nursing major from Billings, Mont. (Billings West). Prosinski
helped her team pull out a 3-0 win in the shootout after finishing
regulation and two overtime periods locked in a scoreless tie with
No. 3 Carleton in the semifinals, and Concordia lost a 1-0
heartbreaker to top-seeded Augsburg in Saturday night's
championship game.
Lloyd, Lehrer and Prosinski were each honored during the MIAC
Playoff championship awards ceremonies following each of Saturday's
contests. A plaque will be provided to each to commemorate their
MIAC Elite 22 Award, and they are recognized on the MIAC
Elite 22 Award web site, which will archive each of the 22
winners throughout the 2014-15 season. St. Thomas has now claimed
five of the first seven Elite 22 honors of the 2014-15 season,
while Concordia and Saint John's each have one honoree.
| MIAC Elite 22 Award | 2014-15 MIAC Elite 22 Award Archive |