ST. PAUL, Minn. – Four student-athletes representing three different teams were selected as the past two week's Fleur-de-lis honorees. Hockey, soccer, and softball earn the recognition for both scholarship and athletic performance.

This selection period highlights the past two weeks with outstanding athletic performance, leadership, and scholarship. Introduced in the fall of 2017, the Fleur-de-lis award is an honor given to student-athletes who embody the three components of the Wildcat athletic department; sport, scholarship, and service.

The fleur-de-lis is a visual representation of the athletic department's mission. The three petals of the fleur-de-lis represent the tenants of our mission:  Scholarship, Athleticism, and Service.  The band holding the three pedals together represents leadership and perseverance.  Excellence in any of these areas is recognized by the department through this award.

The Fleur-de-lis award honors Wildcat student-athletes who have exemplified the department's mission on the field, the classroom and through community service. The fleur-de-lis, or "flower of the lily" in English, is a symbol used by the University and Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and is proudly incorporated into St. Catherine's shield as a representation of the Sister's French heritage and the seed from which their good works grow.
 
Amber Montero | Sr., Softball | Scholarship

Softball standout Amber Montero earns her second Fleur-de-lis Award for scholarship this athletic year after being selected to present at the annual Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Conference in Portland, Oregon last week. Montero has worked as a research assistant in the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health at St. Catherine for the past two years and was given the opportunity, along with a classmate, Paige Nelson, and professor, Dr. Rebecca Busanich, through the Summer Scholars Program and GHR Innovative Scholarship Grant. The research presentation was titled: "The Ripple Effect: How a cross country built a culture of love through running journals". Her team examined historical texts (team running journals from 20-25 years ago) to explore how running narratives were constructed for the team at that time and how these narratives impacted the student-athletes experiences and outcomes. Following up with these athletes then in present-day (20-25 years later), they looked at how these narratives may have shifted or remained the same over time, and how this has impacted those participants' exercising experiences over time. Thus, the team was able to get a longitudinal glimpse into the socio-cultural impacts of exercise adherence with the results also providing implications for coaching and mental performance consultants. After presenting the research to top professionals and academics from the sport and exercise psychology field, the team was encouraged by journal editors to publish the findings into a peer-reviewed manuscript, which they plan to release in the spring.

Taylor Johnson | So., Soccer | Sport

Second-year soccer student-athlete Taylor Johnson earns her first-ever Fleur-de-lis Award of her career. Johnson secured the game-winning goal against Bethel on Saturday, November 2 that helped the Wildcats clinch the No. 3 seed in the MIAC Playoffs. Johnson's goal on Saturday has put her in the top spot on the team for game-winners and in the No. 3 spot for overall goals with seven.
 
Sophia Gorski | So., Hockey | Sport

Sophomore center, Sophia Gorski earns her first Fleur-de-lis Award of her hockey career following a three-point weekend that resulted in an 8-2 victory on Friday followed by a 5-2 win Saturday over Finlandia. Gorski scored St. Catherine's first-goal of the season on Friday night firing off six shots total. On Saturday, Gorski found the back of the net first again for the Wildcats in the first period tying the game 1-1. She also scored the Wildcats' second goal of the afternoon knotting the game up again at 2-2.
 
Nicole Maddox | Fy., Hockey | Sport

The rookie center, Nicole Maddox had an impressive debut on the ice recording three-goals over Finlandia and both of the Wildcats' game-winners. In her first-time in the purple and gold, Maddox scored the team's second and third goals, all in the first period and leading the team to the 8-2 victory. On Saturday, Maddox scored an unassisted goal for the game-winner on the powerplay effort at 6:57 remaining in the second period. After the three-point weekend, Maddox earned the first MIAC Athlete of the Week honors of the 2019-20 season. This is also Maddox's first Fleur-de-lis Award of her career.