ST. PAUL, Minn. - The St. Catherine University athletic department selected three Fleur-de-lis award recipients on April 1. This selection includes honors for scholarship, leadership, and athletics.

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

Melanie Gravdahl, Fy., Tennis | Athletic Performance
Roseville, Minn. / Roseville Area
Rookie Melanie Gravdahl earns her first Fleur-de-lis Award in her time at St. Kate's, delivering a perfect 4-0 performance, competing at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles, and helping the team to two key MIAC victories. Against St. Olaf, Gravdahl and doubles partner Liliana Holmberg won the tiebreaker to secure the doubles point. She carried that momentum into singles play, earning a strong 6-4, 6-3 win. At St. Scholastica, Gravdahl claimed the doubles point with Holmberg again and battled back in a marathon second-set tiebreaker, winning 13-11 while fighting off a match point. She completed the comeback with a 10-7 win in the third-set tiebreaker to seal the match.

Sam Aronson, Sr., Softball | Leadership
Otsego, Minn./Rogers
Senior softball student-athlete, Sam Aronson earns her first Fleur-de-lis Award in her time at St. Kate's for her outstanding leadership on and off the playing field. Aronson has been a driving force behind the plate this season, guiding the team day in and day out.  She has demonstrated resilience, setting a consistent tone throughout.  
 
Cece Purfeerst, Jr., Dance | Scholarship
Hudson, Wis. / River Falls
Junior dancer, Cece Purfeerst, earns her first individual Fleur-de-lis Award in her time at St. Catherine as one of three students selected to present at the MPCC Scholars at the Minnesota State Capitol on February 25. The event highlighted impactful research conducted by students across Minnesota's private colleges and universities and shared with members of the public, policymakers, faculty, staff, and students. Purfeerst's research was titled "Growing Up By The Book: How Adolescent Guidebooks Story Girls' and Boys' Bodies," working with Dr. Rebecca Busanich in the Exercise and Sports Science Department.