Full Release

SAINT PETER, Minn. – Gustavus first-year tennis player Karina Elvestrom (Minnetonka, Minn.) capped a stand-out freshman season with the department's highest honors, as the Minnetonka native swept both the Female Athlete and Newcomer of the Year awards when they were announced on June 11.

She is the second first-year player to win the Female Athlete of the Year award, joining Andrea Kleven (swimming, track & field) in 2000-01.

The award is annually voted on by head coaches following the conclusion of the athletic season, and given based on the individual athletic achievements of the year. 

Elvestrom helped lead Gustavus women's tennis to one of its best seasons of the last decades, starting the year with a pair of All-America honors as a part of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Championships, in her first weekend of collegiate competition, nonetheless. Elvestrom won the singles title and doubles championship with partner Kaya De Bruijn (Maasland, Netherlands/Stedelijk Gymnasium). She advanced to the ITA Cup in both, just her first national appearance of her young career, and the season. 

She was chosen as the MIAC Rookie of the Year after playing at the No. 1 singles and doubles spot for the Gusties all season, compiling a 5-2 record in conference singles play and unblemished record with De Bruijn at doubles. The first-year earned a No. 14 national ranking for the majority of the season following her impressive fall. She finished 19-14 overall in singles play (13-10 dual, 6-4 tournaments) and 25-8 in doubles competition (19-5 dual, 6-2 tournament).

She and De Bruijn compiled the best doubles record in the conference, going a perfect 9-0 against MIAC opponents. The duo, in their first season playing together, were ranked as high as No. 12 in the country and ended the regular season at No. 24, earning a bid to the NCAA Individual Championships, where Elvestrom competed in singles, as well. 

She and De Bruijn finished the dual season on a 10-match win streak, including a victory over the No. 1 team from UChicago in the regional championship to clinch the doubles point with a 7-5 victory. They fell in the first round of the individual tournament to the second-seeded and top-ranked doubles team from Middlebury (Vt.), Nina Farhat and Sahana Raman, who finished as the eventual national runners-up. 

In addition to her major awards, she was also selected as All-Conference singles and doubles and was named a MIAC Athlete of the Week once this spring.

This year's Athlete of the Year ballot included (listed alphabetically) Elvestrom, track & field sprinter and horizontal jumper Megan Geraets (Mankato, Minn./East), basketball fifth-year guard Emma Kniefel (Medford, Minn.), hockey junior forward Lily Mortenson (Champlin, Minn./Benilde St. Margaret's), and volleyball fifth-year setter Kasie Tweet (Adrian, Minn.). Elvestrom and Tweet finished first and second in the voting, with Geraets in third.

The female newcomer ballot featured Elvestrom, distance swimmer Geneva Fackler (Wayzata, Minn.), hockey forward Noelle Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial), track & field jumper Kayla Kajer (Lake Elmo, Minn./Stillwater), and volleyball setter Macie Malchow (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington). Fackler finished second on the ballot, followed by Kajer in third.

Men's tennis player Gage Gohl (Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln) was awarded the Male Athlete of the Year Award for the second consecutive season, while golfer Jimmy Abdo (Edina, Minn.) was selected as the Male Newcomer of the Year. Women's basketball and men's hockey were voted as the team's of the year by the 2024-25 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representatives.

Gustavus Athletes of the Year
2000-01: Andrea Kleven (first-year, swimming, track & field), Eric Butorac (sophomore, tennis)
2001-02: Sarah Moe (senior, hockey), Ryan Hoag (junior, football, track & field)
2002-03: Molly Biehn (junior, softball), Luke Speltz (senior, track & field)
2003-04: Angie Peterson (senior, basketball), Luke Benoit (senior, golf)
2004-05: Tara Houlihan (junior, volleyball, tennis), Joe Hartwell (senior, soccer)
2005-06: Hailey Harren (junior, cross country), Bobby Kroog (senior, soccer)
2006-07: Andrea Peterson (senior, hockey), Tony Konicek (senior, baseball)
2007-08: Lisa Brown (junior, track & field), Andy Bryan (senior, tennis)
2008-09: Rachael Click (senior, softball), Matt Stewart (senior, swimming)
2009-10: Melissa Mackley (senior, hockey), David Martinson (senior, hockey)
2010-11: Janey Helland (senior, track & field), Whitaker Davis (senior, swimming)
2011-12: Alissa Tinklenberg (sophomore, swimming), Ross Ring-Jarvi (senior, hockey)
2012-13: Lindsey Hjelm (senior, hockey), Alex Kolquist (senior, golf)
2013-14: Alissa Tinklenberg (senior, swimming), Jeffrey Dubose (senior, football)
2014-15: Jenny Strom (senior, swimming), David Lilly (senior, soccer)
2015-16: Alex Kopp (senior, gymnastics), Matt Boyce (senior, football)
2016-17: Nora Holtan (sophomore, volleyball), Tanner Sonnek (sophomore, swimming)
2017-18: Nora Holtan (junior, volleyball), Mohanad Alhouni (senior, tennis)
2018-19: Nora Holtan (senior, volleyball), Michael Hensch (senior, track & field)
2019-20: no awards presented due to pandemic-shortened and canceled seasons
2020-21: no awards presented due to pandemic-shortened and canceled seasons
2021-22: Birgen Nelson (junior, track & field), Jack Hanson (senior, baseball)
2022-23: Birgen Nelson (senior, track & field), Nick Aney (senior, tennis)
2023-24: Megan Geraets (junior, track & field), Jake Breitbach (senior, football), Gage Gohl/Tyler Haddorff (sophomores, tennis)
2024-25: Karina Elvestrom (first-year, tennis), Gage Gohl (junior, tennis)