ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Catherine University Athletic Department announced Thursday the first Fleur-de-lis Award recipients for the 2020-21 academic year. In this October selection period, the department recognized a duo of sophomores for their leadership and service.

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. Due to the postponement of athletic competition during the fall semester, the department will not award Fleur-de-lis awards based on athletic performance. The recognition for athletic performance will return in 20201.

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 the St. Catherine shield as a representation of the Sister's French heritage and the seed from which their good works grow.

Lauren Skar | So., Volleyball | Leadership and Service
Sophomore volleyball student-athlete Lauren Skar earns her first Fleur-de-lis Award of her career for her dedication and work with the "I Will Vote" initiative throughout St. Kate's campus. Skar has taken it upon herself to encourage and educate student-athletes, teams, and coaches about the importance of civic engagement through voting in this year's elections. She put together presentation materials and met with various teams. For those teams she was unable to meet with, Lauren made sure those coaches had the materials and talking points in order to present the "I Will Vote" initiative to their teams as part of her work as the Civic Engagement Collective Fellow with the St. Kate's Community Work and Learning group.

Kaitlyn Blair | So., Hockey | Leadership and Service
Sophomore hockey student-athlete Kaitlyn Blair is emerging as the focused leader that showed throughout her rookie season and her time prior to joining the Wildcats. Her work at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota as a Patient Care Assistant (PCA) allows her to learn many different aspects of the nursing profession. Her work with the Float Pool PCA's sends her to numerous floors to help people in Oncology, Burn Unit, Med/Surge, ICU and Trauma. She works with patients taking their vitals, blood sugar and other tasks where needed. She also assists patients with their daily living activities such as brushing their teeth, bathing, and getting dressed. This is Blair's first fleur-de-lis award of her career.