BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Senior Maria Bedford of the College of Saint Benedict has been named the MIAC Elite 22 Award recipient for tennis, according to an announcement today by the league office.

 

The MIAC Elite 22 Award recognizes the true essence of the term "student-athlete" by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Modeled after the NCAA Elite 90 Award, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average (GPA) in each sport who meets similarly high, sport-specific athletic requirements.

In all sports with MIAC team playoff tournaments, including tennis, baseball, and softball, the MIAC Elite 22 Award is presented to the individual with the highest GPA on the active postseason roster of a playoff-qualifying team. In championship meet sports, including outdoor track & field, the winner is the individual with the highest GPA who was named All-Conference. Each winner must be a junior or senior and in at least their second full academic year at their current institution. Ties are broken by the number of credits earned.

"We are exceptionally proud of Maria," said CSB head tennis coach Jack Bowe. "She has been a tremendous leader for our program, and had an unbelievable, record-breaking year. She has been a selfless teammate who has been dedicated to her studies while achieving at a high level in competition. We look forward to seeing the great things she will do in the future," he said.

Bedford, a senior computer science major from St. Paul, Minn., is the first-ever CSB tennis student-athlete honor. She is the ninth Saint Ben's student-athlete, including the second this year, honored as a MIAC Elite 22 recipient. She joins Piper Murray, soccer, 2013-14; Kathryn Gaydos, volleyball, 2013-14; Natalie Amundson, golf, 2016-17; Hunter Weiss, volleyball, 2018-19; Tracy Renier, outdoor track and field, 2020-21 and 2021-22; Abby Willenbring, soccer, 2021-22; and Fiona Smith, cross country, 2022-23.

A two-time Academic All-MIAC honoree, Bedford was recently named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. The 2023 Academic All-District® Women's Tennis Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

She recently completed a special senior campaign when she was selected All-MIAC Honorable Mention and to the All-MIAC Playoff Team. In 2022-23, she was 14-3, including 7-3 in conference play in singles.

Twice in 2023, Bedford was named All-MIAC Player of the Week twice (March 13, April 10), becoming the 10^th CSB tennis player honored by the league and just the second (Mackenzie Schurhamer, 2018) to get the weekly conference honor twice. She set a school record by opening the season with 12 straight wins.

In her career, she had a 27-11 record in singles. In doubles play this year, she was 13-3, including 7-2 in the MIAC. She was 12-3 when paired with Jane Bodensteiner in doubles. In Bedford's career in doubles at CSB, she had a 38-14 mark.