Release courtesy of BJ Pickard, MIAC Assistant Executive Director
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) recognized some of its best and brightest spring sport student-athletes on Monday with the announcement of the spring sports Elite 22 Awards. Gustavus swept the tennis accolades, with Michael O’Neil (So., Edina, Minn.) receiving the men’s tennis Elite 22 Award and Katie Aney (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) taking the women’s tennis honor.
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 has also met similarly high sport-specific athletic requirements.
In all sports with MIAC team postseason tournaments, including baseball, softball and tennis, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the individual with the highest GPA on the active roster at the MIAC Playoff championship contest. In outdoor track and field, the winner is the individual with the highest GPA who was named All-Conference. The recipient must be a sophomore, junior or senior and in at least his or her second season of competition with their current team.
Aney finished her senior season with a 19-7 overall record, including an undefeated 10-0 mark in MIAC play, earning All-Conference honors in both singles and doubles play for the second consecutive season. Majoring in Biochemistry and Mathematics at Gustavus, Aney has accumulated a 3.96 grade-point average and twice been named Academic All-District for her work in the classroom.
O’Neil finished the 2018 season with a 12-7 record overall in singles play and a 9-4 mark in doubles, ending the year with five straight singles wins for the MIAC champion Gusties. In two years at Gustavus, O’Neil has maintained a 4.0 GPA.