St. Joseph, Minn. – Conference, region and national honors, and a pair of record setting seasons fill the resumes of the 2012-13 Blazer Rookie, and Athlete of the Year.
 
Taking home the big prize as the Blazer Athlete of the Year was junior Lexi Alm, who stood out on both the volleyball court and the softball diamond this past season. Joining her as the Blazer Rookie of the Year, was her softball teammate in first-year Kimberly Lidstone, who made an immediate impact this spring.
 
Alm was a an All-Region performer in both her sports, while adding an Honorable Mention All-America honor in volleyball. Lidstone joined Alm on the Second Team All-Midwest Region softball team, while she was also named the MIAC Softball Rookie of the Year.
 
Last fall, Alm and the Blazer volleyball team ran out to a 29-6 record, which included a 10-1 mark in the MIAC to finish second with their only loss in league play coming at then No. 7 ranked St. Thomas. After September 8, the Blazers only losses were to Tommies, coming once in the regular season, once in the MIAC Tournament Championship Game, and finally in the NCAA Regional Championship as the Tommies eventually won a national title.
 
Just a junior, Alm surpassed the 1,000 career kill mark this past season, leading the MIAC with 470, while gaining First Team All-MIAC and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First Team All-Central Region. She also collected 541 digs on the season, while her 3.82 kills per set during the year ended the season ranked No. 36 in the nation.
 
She was MIAC Athlete of the Week on September 4, 2012.
 
On the softball field, she played an error-free 26 games in center field while leading the Blazers in doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, walks, and sacrifice flies,  Her seven homeruns were just one shy of her school record, eight, from her sophomore year, and ended the season ranked fifth in the MIAC.
 
At season's end, she was First Team All-MIAC honoree, joined on the First Team by Lidstone.
 
Together Alm and Lidstone led the Blazer softball team to its first 20-win season in school history and what's believed to be the first pair of All-Region Teammates in program history.
 
Lidstone's rookie season will also be remembered for her 31-game hitting streak that started in her second career game, and lasted nearly the entire season, eventually ending in the final weekend of the regular season. And when it did finish, it stood tied as the fourth longest hitting streak in DIII softball history. Before it was wrapped up, though, she ran off a stretch of 10 straight multiple hits games, which added 37 points to her average over the 10 games, peaking at a season high of .471, eventually ending the season at .428
 
She was MIAC player of the Week on April 22, 2013.
 
At the Blazer Awards ceremony in May, the nominees for the Blazers' Athlete, and Rookie of the Year Honors were announced, with the winners scheduled for announcement later in the summer, once all spring sports had a chance to complete their seasons.
 
Alm beat out a very competitive field of All-MIAC honorees for Athlete of the Year, including: Brianna Barrett from basketball, Sam Imholte from track and field, Kelsie Larson from cross country and track and field, Erin Sand from track and field, Jenna Traut from hockey and golf, and Mandy Witschen from track and field.
 
Lidstone's class of fellow first-years is equally impressive, as all found their way in the starting line-ups of their respective sports, including: Stephanie Bierman from swimming and diving, Emily Engelmeier from softball, Alexis Good from track and field, Cathleen Gross from cross country, Alyssa Hoffman from soccer and hockey, Mattie Lueck from basketball, and Samantha Van Erp from track and field.