St. Paul, Minn. — The St. Catherine University softball team wrapped up an inspiring 2025 season marked by athletic excellence, academic distinction, and community leadership. From postseason honors to team achievements, the Wildcats demonstrated their continued commitment to performance, scholarship, and service.
Two Wildcats, Sarah Christy and Grace Swigart, earned MIAC Conference Player of the Week honors during the season, highlighting their standout performances on the field. Five team members were honored by St. Kate's Athletics with the prestigious Fleur-de-Lis Award, which recognizes student-athletes who embody excellence in leadership, academics, and athletics. Recipients included Alexa Carlstrom, Lucy Mansell, Sarah Christy, and Helen McKinnon, with McKinnon receiving the award twice. Syd Colbert was named to the highly selective Allstate NACDA Good Works Team, celebrating her outstanding contributions to community service and civic engagement.
Overall, the Wildcats posted a team GPA of 3.723, the highest across the entire St. Kate's athletic department as Sarah Posey was honored with the MIAC Elite 22 Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA among all competitors in the conference tournament for each spring sport. Three Wildcats—Sam Aronson, McKinnon, and Kylee Kohout—were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, recognizing top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom.
The Wildcats returned to the MIAC Playoffs, finishing 6th overall. Helen McKinnon was named to the 2025 MIAC All-Tournament Team after a strong performance at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. From St. Kate's, Faith Bonse and Mayci Larson earned MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition, while McKinnon and Carlstrom were named to the MIAC All-Conference Team.
The 2025 season featured a dynamic rookie class of nine first-year student-athletes—all of whom started at least one game. Reflecting their impressive impact, Carlstrom and G. Swigart were named Co-Rookies of the Year. Aronson was named Defensive Most Valuable Player after excelling at five different positions, showcasing remarkable versatility and athleticism. McKinnon was awarded Offensive Most Valuable Player for her elite performance at the plate and on the basepaths, ranking among the top in both team and conference offensive categories. The prestigious Most Valuable Player Award, voted on by teammates, honors the individual who best exemplifies leadership, energy, loyalty, and team-first mentality. This season's top vote recipients were Posey, Colbert, and Aronson, each recognized as first-class teammates and role models.
