Gallery • 2 Photos

Koji Gutzmann

Senior and captain Kathleen Bishop hits the ball against Blake on Sept. 14.

In a time of uncertainty, the 2020 St. Paul Downtown Lions Athlete of the Year Award has brought a tremendous amount of joy to the SPA community. This year, two students from SPA have been selected as winners.

This award, recognized by Herbert F. Schwarz began in 1944 after he had read an article regarding the Heisman Trophy award. He pursued athletics throughout his life and believed that aspiring young athletes in St. Paul deserved an award for achievement both on and off the field.

There are only two winners, one male, and one female. This year, both individuals recognized were from the SPA community. Seniors Kathleen Bishop and Tommy Stoplestad were recognized for their athletic achievements this year.

On behalf of winning the award, Stoplestad said, “To be recognized as a finalist is really special, I am grateful to be in this position and it makes me feel lucky to have had such great coaches, teammates, and an overall great athletic experience in high school.”

Kathleen Bishop’s reception of this award is nothing less than justified as her success is apparent in her commitment to play Women’s Volleyball at Princeton University. This season Kathleen demonstrated her ability as she had 29 service aces, 103 digs, and 24 blocks, and she led the team with 286 kills and a kill percentage of 24.7%.

Congratulations to these two athletes as their achievements both on and off the field have left a tremendous legacy behind them as they continue throughout their lives.