BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) just concluded its 2015-16 season with the spring Playoffs and Championships and, Tuesday, the MIAC recognized six student-athletes for their combined athletic and academic excellence with the final 2015-16 Elite 22 Awards.
Saint John's University's Logan Hershey received the baseball honor, St. Catherine University's Kylie Macziewski was the softball winner, Gustavus Adolphus College's Gabe Steinwand and Katie Aney claimed the two tennis Elite 22 honors, Bethel University's Karl Olsen was the men's outdoor track and field winner, and the University of St. Thomas' Aimee Junget claimed the women's outdoor track and field honor. Each winner had the top grade point average (GPA) among student-athletes that met elite sport-specific athletic requirements.
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 90 Award, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA in each sport who meet similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements.
The Elite 22 award - now in its third season - emerged from the MIAC's strategic plan. It was unanimously approved by the MIAC's governance structure in the spring of 2013, and first awarded during the 2013-14 season. The winner must be a sophomore, junior or senior in at least his or second season of competition with their current team.
In the individual sports (outdoor track and field) the winner is the individual with the highest GPA who was named All-Conference. In the team sports (baseball, softball and tennis) it was presented to the individual with the highest GPA on the active roster in the MIAC Playoff championship game.
Hershey - the Johnnies' All-Conference shortstop, claimed his Elite 22 Award thanks to his 3.897 GPA and his team's second-straight appearance in the MIAC Playoff championship game. Hershey and the Johnnies defeated Saint Mary's for a repeat MIAC Playoff title, then advanced all the way to the NCAA Regional finals, where SJU fell one step short of the Division III World Series. Hershey is a senior Accounting major from Maple Grove, Minn.
Macziewski's Elite 22 softball honor is another highlight in a historic season for the Wildcats. St. Kate's had never been to the MIAC's four-team tournament, and they not only earned a bid, but pushed champion St. Thomas to a seventh and final championship game. The team followed that up with their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and a run that lasted until the Regional championship game. Macziewski is a sophomore Exercise Sports Science major from Bloomington, Minn., and a graduate of Jefferson High School.
The Gustavus men's tennis team continued an impressive streak with a sixth-straight MIAC Playoff title, and Gabe Steinwand's 3.986 GPA combined with his team's title-match appearance to give him the Elite 22 honor. Steinwand is a sophomore Chemistry major from Moorhead, Minn.
The Gustie women made it a clean sweep for the school in the MIAC Tennis Playoffs as the No. 2 seed toppled top-seeded Carleton in the championship. Aney's perfect 4.0 GPA was tops in the title match and gave her the sport's Elite 22 honor. She is a sophomore Biology major from Rochester, Minn., and a Century High School graduate.
Bethel's Olsen helped his squad's 4x400-meter relay team win a conference championship at the 2016 MIAC Outdoor meet with a time of 3:18.74. That performance gave Olsen an All-MIAC nod, and combined with his 3.85 GPA to give him the Elite 22 honor. Olsen and the 4x400 team will also represent Bethel and the MIAC at the NCAA Championships. Olsen is a sophomore Applied Physics from Bloomington, Minn., and a Jefferson High School grad.
St. Thomas' Aimee Junget claimed a pair of All-Conference honors on the track, and combined them with her near-perfect 3.94 GPA to earn the Women's Outdoor T&F Elite 22 Award. She finished second in the 1,500-meter run, and helped the Tommies' 4x800-meter relay team to a first-place finish to contrubute to her team's 12th-straight MIAC Championship. Junget is a senior Business Accounting Major from Chaska, Minn.
A plaque will be provided to all the fall winners 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 2015-16 season. This year, St. Thomas led the way, capturing 10 of the 22 honors. Bethel and Gustavus have each had three Elite 22 winners. Saint John's has had two Elite 22 honorees, and Carleton, Macalester, St. Catherine and St. Olaf have had one each.
| MIAC Elite 22 Award | 2015-16 MIAC Elite 22 Award Archive |