Jefferson, Kennedy high schools name 2024 Athena Award recipients

Jefferson’s Maren Myers and Kennedy’s Kelsey Cruz Rojas are this year’s Athena Award winners. 

The Athena Award is presented each year to outstanding female senior athletes from high schools across the metro area. Award winners will be honored at the Minneapolis Athena Banquet on May 3.

Myers participates in cross country, track & field, and nordic ski, and is team captain in all three sports. She is a six-time all-conference honoree, three-time section medals recipient, lettered 10 times, and qualified for the 2023 state cross country meet. Myers plans to continue competing in cross country and track & field while also pursuing a career in occupational therapy at South Dakota State University.

Cruz Rojas participates in and captained her wrestling and soccer teams. She is a two-time section champion in wrestling, three-time all-conference honoree and has lettered eight times. Cruz Rojas is one of Kennedy’s first girls to ever place in state wrestling, finishing 3rd this year. Throughout high school she won 58 wrestling matches and scored 15 goals in soccer. She has wrestled in national competitions with Team Minnesota, and plans to wrestle at Augsburg University while majoring in accounting.