The College of Saint Benedict and the Blazer Athletic Department held their annual athletic awards ceremony on Sunday (May 11), honoring the best in sports from the past year.
 
Honors were handed out to Allison Kosobud (Brainerd, Minn.) for Rookie of the Year, Kathryn Gaydos (Savage, Minn.) for Scholar-Athlete, Shane Jensen for the Sportsmanship Award, Katie Schwab for the Inspirational Award and Sam Imholte (Clearwater, Minn.) for the Presidential Award.
 
But the highlight of the night was the Blazer Athlete of the Year Award that went to soccer's Colleen Bouchard (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). She closed the season as the program's career assist leader and just the third First Team All-American in team history. She led Blazer soccer to a sweep of both the MIAC regular season and tournament titles, while leading the conference and ranking sixth in the nation in assists with 15.
 
Her nine goals and 33 total points were also career highs as she had a hand in scoring or assisting the deciding goal in 10 of Blazer soccer's program record 16 wins.
 
Earning Rookie of the Year honors was Kosobud from track and field. All she did during her first campaign in the indoor season was win two MIAC titles and set four team records. She won championships indoors in the 800 and 1000-meter, while setting records in each event as well as the mile and distance medley relay. She was also a NCAA Indoor Championship Qualifier in the 800-meter and the distance medley relay.
 
Outdoors she then continued to set records, setting a new 800-meter mark, while finishing second at the Outdoor MIAC Championships in the event.
 
Also from track and field was Imholte winning the Presidential Award, for possessing the best combination of athletic talent, academic ability and community engagement. A multiple All-MIAC honoree in the throws, she also maintins a 3.63 GPA, and has been an active member of the CSB Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, highlighted by her inclusion to the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in November of 2012.
 
Winning the Scholar-Athlete honor, Gaydos was chosen on the strength of her perfect 4.0 grade point average. A captain on the Blazer volleyball team, Gaydos was also the first winner of the MIAC Elite 22 Award for volleyball for owning the highest GPA among championship contenders.
 
The final two awards diverged from the usual athlete honors and went to a pair of exemplary student-employees in the Blazer Athletic department.
 
A hockey and softball manager Jensen wins the Sportsmanship Award having put in four years working in the department, constantly going above and beyond his duties to ensure that each program is prepared throughout the practice week, and especially on game-day.
 
Schwab works with nearly every athlete at CSB as a strength and fitness coach, and for her exceptional effort earns the Margy Hughes Inspirational Award. The award is named in honor of Hughes, who was a professor at the College of Saint Benedict for over 35 years and has played an instrumental role as a leader in the physical education department and in the development of Blazer Athletics.