ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict athletic department officially wrapped up the 2017-18 season recently with the announcement of its Rookie and Athlete of the year award winners.
 
Senior Megan Sundstrom took home Athlete of the Year honors, and first years Megan Thompson and Ally Hjort shared Rookie of the Year accolades, but they weren't the department's only big honorees this summer.
 
Before the school year officially wrapped up, CSB held its annual athletic awards presentation, and honored student-athletes for academic awards, as well as for their work on the field, pool and courts, including all-conference and all-region accolades. The department also named its four big award winners for the year.
 
Senior softball student-athlete Sara Wennerstrand won the 2017-18 Presidential Award, seniors Christina Kruize received the Margy Hughes Inspirational Award, Sundstrom won the Sportsmanship Award and senior Chelsey Guetter was named the department's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This marks the second straight year both Sundstrom and Guetter have won their respective awards.
 
The Presidential Award is given to a student-athlete who excels not only on the court or field, but also in the classroom while giving back to the community at the same time, and Wennerstrand stood out in all three aspects of the honor. Wennerstrand – who graduated in May with a degree in psychology, a minor in exercise science and a 3.94 GPA – has been active in SAAC and CSB's percussion and marimba ensemble. She volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club in Waite Park, and serves as a volunteer tennis instructor and youth softball coach at home in Baxter. Wennerstrand – a two-time NFCA All-Region pick for the CSB softball team – is a two-time All-MIAC First Team selection. She graduated with the school record for RBIs in a season and a career, and was a four-time MIAC Athlete of the Week.
 
Guetter, a senior on the basketball team, won her second straight Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor for maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. Guetter, who also earned Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team honors this season, graduated in May with a communication degree.
 
Kruize played with the basketball team for one season, but spent the remaining three years working in the CSB athletic training room, which is how she won the 2017-18 Margy Hughes Inspirational Award. CSB's SAAC group chose her for the award because of her dedication to all CSB athletic teams, her positivity and her willingness to help however and wherever she was needed. Her support of the student-athletes and her support of coaches and athletes alike made a lasting impact on her peers.
 
Sundstrom won the Sportsmanship Award for the second straight year after her selfless showing at the Wartburg Qualifier in March. After four events in the pentathlon she knew she didn't have a shot at qualifying for nationals – but her teammate did. So she served as a pacer for the 800-meter run to try and help Jenna Degen qualify for the indoor national championships. Sundstrom went on to qualify for outdoor nationals this May.