Jefferson, Kennedy High School name Athena Award winners
Bloomington seniors Grace Schuck and Susie Monson were named as this year's Athena Award winners by Jefferson and Kennedy high schools respectively. The Athena Award is presented each year to outstanding senior female athletes from schools across the metro area. Both athletes credit their families for instilling a love of sports at a young age.
By the age of two, Grace's parents were encouraging her and her twin brother, Garrett, to be active.
“Our parents had us ready with a pair of skates and a baseball mitt as soon as we were able to walk,” said Schuck. She developed a passion for hockey, inspired by her mother.
“When my mom was younger, she wanted to play hockey; but at the time, there weren’t many women’s hockey programs,” Schuck mentioned. “Whereas today, to see the game grow the last couple of years excites me and makes me look forward to the future.”
Schuck's love for hockey and her bond with teammates grew into something like family. Her former teammates built the foundation that helped her succeed athletically and academically. “Leaders like Luci Bianchi, Celena Rea and Julia Jones supported me on how to handle the pressure of balancing academics and being involved with several sports,” said Schuck. “They taught me that in order to see a community grow, you must lead by example and I hope that one day I can inspire other girls to do the same.”
After high school, Schuck plans to attend college and is eager to continue her hockey career and study marketing or sports management.
Susie’s passion for lacrosse began in Kindergarten. “Originally, I wanted to pursue soccer for a long time,” said Monson. “It wasn’t until I became more involved with lacrosse that I fell in love with it.”
After sustaining a back injury during lacrosse practice in 2020, Monson leaned on her sisters for support as she recovered, one of whom was a 2018 Athena Award recipient.
“During the nine-month recovery process, my sisters played a big part in encouraging me to get back on the field,” said Monson. “Both of them suggested ways to ease the pain and make smart and healthy decisions in order to recover.”
“Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve had my eyes on this award,” said Monson. “To be recognized as a competitive athlete by my peers means a lot to me.”
After graduation, Monson will attend Concordia University, St. Paul to play lacrosse and study business and pre-med.