ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The St. Catherine University athletic department is excited to announce the 2022-23 award finalists in preparation for the annual Purple and Gold Awards Banquet on Monday, May 15

The award's banquet recognizes the department's letter winners, NCAA and MIAC honors plus the department and university award honorees. The McCahill Athlete of the Year and Rookie of the Year along with the winners of the Sheila Brown Wildcat Awards, the Brady Williams Spirit Award, and the Fleur-de-Lis Award will all be recognized at the ceremony. 

The McCahill Athlete of the Year award is given to a student-athlete who exemplifies outstanding athletic achievement from the past year as well as academic success, team leadership, and community involvement. This year, the five finalists include golf's Kyra Venne, swimming and diving's Annie Voss and Jordyn Wentzel , tennis's Kelsey Dorr, and track & field's Bryana Leverentz.

The Rookie of the Year award goes to a student-athlete who competed at the collegiate level for the first time this year and exemplifies athletic achievement as well as academic success, team leadership, and community involvement. This year's finalists for the award include dance's Grace Roscoe, softball's Helen McKinnon, swimming and diving's Olivia Weil, track & field's Makayla Stinson, and volleyball's Tiffany Tellez. 

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Rookie of the Year Finalists:

Grace Roscoe | Dance | Burnsville, Minn. / Academy of Holy Angels
First-year Grace Roscoe is the second-ever Wildcat dancer in program history to earn rookie of the year finalist recognition after leading the Wildcats to a second-place finish regionally and sixth place in the nation at the USA College Dance National Championship. In her first collegiate championship, Roscoe fully utilized the floor with her long lines and extensions while executing the choreography flawlessly to improve the team's technical score.

Helen McKinnon | Softball | Farmington, Minn. / Rosemount
First-year shortstop Helen McKinnon has started each of the Wildcat softball program's 38 contests to this point with a .303 batting average while recording 36 hits in 119 at-bat appearances. McKinnon has a team-high 23 RBI with 16 runs with six doubles, two triples and one grand slam. She has tallied 65 putouts with 97 assists while turning nine double plays.

Olivia Weil | Swimming and Diving | Cedarburg, Wis.
Rookie Olivia Weil earned MIAC All-Conference honors in her first year at the conference championships placing third in the 200-yard breaststroke while also claiming honorable mention recognition in the 500-yard freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle. Weil was the fifth-best point scorer for all rookies and 13^th overall among all competitors. In her first season with the Wildcat swimming and diving team, Weil recorded six lifetime best performances and is on five all-time top-ten performance lists for the program.

Makayla Stinson | Track & Field | Wauwatosa, Wis.
First-year Makayla Stinson has made an immediate impact on the St. Kate's track & field team leading the Wildcat sprinters in the indoor 55-meter dash, 60-meter dash, and 200-meter dash while also holding the team's 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash for the outdoor season. Stinson ranks fifth in the MIAC for the outdoor 100-meter dash, sixth in the 200-meter dash while earning MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in the 60-meter dash at the indoor conference championships with a time of 8.04, good for fifth place and putting her third all-time in the program.

Tiffany Tellez | Volleyball | Peoria, Ariz. / Xavier College Preparatory
Rookie Tiffany Tellez appeared in 26 matches in her first season playing 98 sets leading all first-years on the Wildcat volleyball team. Tellez recorded the second-most kills on the team with 211 and was also second for digs with 257. Tellez was named MIAC All-Conference at the end of the 2022 season as one of just two rookies to make the prestigious list.

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McCahill Athlete of the Year Finalists:

Kyra Venne | Golf | Woodbury, Minn. / East Ridge
Sophomore Kyra Venne will finish her second year at St. Catherine as the best golfer in program history currently holding a 74.4 scoring average headed into the NCAA Division III Championships. Venne secured the program's first MIAC Individual title earning MIAC Player of the Year which is also another program first. During the 2022-23 season, Venne earned medalist honors in five tournaments and ranked 16^th nationally headed into the postseason.

Annie Voss | Swimming and Diving | Mequon, Wis. / Divine Savior-Holy Angels
Senior Annie Voss drew up her most successful season in 2022-23 securing three individual titles at the MIAC Championships and part of two first-place relay teams. Voss was tied for the most points scored at the 2022-23 conference championships and was selected for the 2023 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships where she earned All-America Honorable Mention in two events. This season, Voss was a six-time MIAC All-Conference honoree with eleven lifetime best times this season breaking the program record in the 200-yard backstroke. She was also an All-Conference honorable mention in the 200-yard freestyle relay helping the Wildcats to their third consecutive conference title. She holds top-ten times in eleven events for the program and was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Third Team at the conclusion of her season.

Jordyn Wentzel | Swimming and Diving | Corcoran, Minn. / Delano
Three-time McCahill Athlete of the Year Jordyn Wentzel continued her impressive tenure for the Wildcat swim team with five MIAC conference titles being named MIAC Swimmer of the Year for the fourth season. Wentzel was tied for the most points scored at the MIAC Championship to help secure the team's third consecutive conference title. Wentzel was a seven-time MIAC All-Conference honoree and was selected for the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships for the fifth-time in her career. Wentzel finished the Division III meet with three All-America finishes along with two All-America Second Team nods to help the Wildcats to a 16th-place finish at the championships. At the conclusion of her career, Wentzel finishes as a twenty-two-time All-America honoree and four-time All-America Second Team selection.

Kelsey Dorr | Tennis | Princeton, Minn.
Senior Kelsey Dorr finished the tennis season named MIAC Singles Player of the Year leading all conference players at No. 1 singles securing an overall record of 12-3 and 7-3 in the MIAC. In doubles play, Dorr played at No. 1 also finishing with a 12-3 record and 8-2 in the MIAC. During the season, Dorr earned a spot at No. 12 in the Central Region for singles and as high as No. 15 in doubles. She was named MIAC All-Conference for singles and doubles and was also a finalist in the ITA Regional Tournament earning a spot in the ITA Cup in Georgia this fall.

Bryana Leverentz | Track & Field | Andover, Minn.
Fifth-year Bryana Leverentz has compiled a record season leading the MIAC for the entirety of the outdoor season in the javelin throw. Leverentz has tallied three first-place performances in five meets this spring beating out Division I and II opponents along the way. Her most recent performance earned her MIAC Field Athlete of the Week while landing her 7^th in Division III and third all-time in the Wildcats record books.