BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its women's basketball awards for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday. The Cardinals, in what was a historic turnaround season, saw three young players earn honors.
 
Freshman Brianna Nusbaum claimed the most prestigious award a newcomer can receive, Rookie of the Year, while also earning All-Conference and MIAC All-Playoff Team honors. Her teammates, sophomore Kali Olson and freshman Rylie Sternquist, both received MIAC Honorable Mention honors, marking the first accolades of their collegiate careers.
 
After leading the Cardinals in scoring with 13.4 points per game and recording a conference-high 45 steals in her debut season, Nusbaum, the point guard from Spring Lake Park, Minnesota played a key role in igniting an impressive turnaround for Saint Mary's. The Cardinals finished 11-7 and secured a spot in the MIAC Playoffs for the 2024-25 season, a remarkable improvement after a winless conference record in 2023-24.
 
Nusbaum becomes the second Saint Mary's women's basketball player to earn MIAC Rookie of the Year honors, joining 2019 recipient Brooklyn Paulson.
 
The forward from New York Mills, Minnesota, earned MIAC Honorable Mention for her strong defensive presence, which played a key role in keeping opponents out of the paint. Olson led the Cardinals in rebounds, averaging 8.1 per game, ranking third in the conference, while also recording 22 blocks, the most on the team. 
 
Each day, she went head-to-head with some of the toughest bigs in the conference.
 
The power forward from Big Lake, Minnesota, earned MIAC Honorable Mention for her strong performance both inside the paint and as a shooter. Sternquist, who averaged 11.8 points per game and appeared in every game for the Cardinals this season, was the team's second-leading scorer. 
 
Sternquist excelled on both ends of the court, averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. She set a career high with 25 points against Augsburg, including three three-pointers in the performance.
 
The Cardinals finished the season with an overall record of 13-12 and an 11-7 mark in conference play. 
 

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Macalester senior Peyton Starks and Bethel senior Elly Schmitz were voted the MIAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, while Saint Mary's first-year Brianna Nusbaum received MIAC Rookie of the Year honors, and Gustavus head coach Laurie Kelly was celebrated as the MIAC Coach of the Year.