BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Ashley Tarrolly of the College of Saint Benedict tennis team has been awarded the MIAC Elite 22 Award recipient for women's tennis by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in an announcement by the league office today (May 22).

 

A senior accounting major from St. Cloud, Minn., Tarrolly is the second-straight and second-ever CSB tennis student-athlete honored with the MIAC Elite 22 honor. She is the third Saint Benedict student-athlete in 2023-24 to earn the prestigious academic honor, joining Fiona Smith of cross country and Olivia Thompson of volleyball.

Overall, Tarrolly becomes the 10th Saint Ben's student-athlete honored as a MIAC Elite 22 recipient. In school history, CSB has had 12 honorees,including two time honorees Tracy Renier, outdoor track and field and Fiona Smith, cross country. The CSB honorees include 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; Maria Bedford, tennis, 2022-23; Fiona Smith, cross country, 2022-23, 2023-24; Olivia Thompson, volleyball, 2023-24 and Tarrolly, 2023-24.

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 Ashley for her leadership in the program and on campus," said CSB head tennis coach Jack Bowe. "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.

Recently Tarrolly was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for a second straight year. That honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

In 2023-24, Tarrolly, was a major contributor on the CSB tennis team which finished the regular season at 7-10 and 5-5 in the MIAC. CSB made its third straight appearance in the MIAC Postseason Tournament. 

Tarrolly was also among seven Bennies named ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2023 as CSB earned ITA Academic Team honors for the first time since 2015. On May 7, Tarrolly earned All-MIAC singles honors for a second straight year, and she also earned her first doubles honor. Additionally, she was also honored on the All-MIAC Playoff Team for the first-time.

In 2024, she finished 8-6, including 5-5 in the MIAC, at No. 1 singles and 8-6 (7-3 in the MIAC) at No. 1 doubles this season. An Academic All-MIAC honoree a year ago, Tarrolly was regionally ranked No. 6 in singles in NCAA DIII Region VII in 2022-23 and also received votes this year. Tarrolly had a 22-11 record in her career in singles and 13-10 in MIAC play. In doubles, she was 20-16 overall in her career, which included 12-9 in MIAC play. Last fall, Tarrolly was ranked second in the ITA Regionals and won 2-of-3 matches at that competition.