2026 Saunders-Tollefson Award: A career to remember for this MACCRAY Wolverine
· Yahoo Sports
Jun. 23—CLARA CITY — Brielle Janssen has been making the trek back and forth to Mankato to take part in girls basketball camps at Minnesota State University.
Only now the 2026 MACCRAY graduate is a clinician. In between, she works out in preparation for the next phase of her athletic career, women's basketball with the MSU Mavericks.
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The busy summer schedule has not allowed her to dwell too much on her high-school career, which is now in the rear-view mirror.
"I don't think it really has hit me yet, to be honest," Janssen said. "It was really hard after basketball was over. It took me a while. But, reflecting on it, I'm trying to be more grateful rather than sad it was over."
Asked to reflect upon her time at MACCRAY, it's not the
, nor the
in track and field she most remembers, though those moments are cherished.
"It's the little things, the personal moments, spending time with the best friends, the bus rides," she said. "Obviously, I really wanted for us to win a state championship my junior year (when the Wolverines finished second). This year was really hard (with a loss in the playoffs as the team fought off illness). But overall, I think my time at MACCRAY was pretty great."
What she will be remembered for is being one of the best athletes in MACCRAY history. The volleyball, basketball and track star has been named the Saunders-Tollefson Award winner for 2026.
"That's exciting," Janssen said. "Thank you."
It goes to the area's top female athlete as determined by the West Central Tribune sports staff based on nominations from area activities directors and coaches. It was called the Hengstler-Ranweiler Award until 2025. The male athlete of the year still receives the Hengstler-Ranweiler Award.
The female award is named after Linda (Richards) Saunders and Carrie Tollefson. Richards, from Buffalo Lake, was the first female recipient of the Hengstler-Ranweiler Award in 1979. She was a track star at Minnesota State, then was a long-time teacher and coach in Willmar who passed away in 2024. Tollefson was a five-time state cross-country champion from Dawson-Boyd who represented the United States in the 2004 Summer Olympics as a distance runner.
Janssen is the first MACCRAY female to be honored by the West Central Tribune since 1993, when Kristina Ervin shared the award with New London-Spicer's Tonia Nelson. A MACCRAY athlete also won in 1992 and '91. Kelli Guertz won in '92 and Darci DeHoux won in '91.
Janssen, while headed to a basketball career, seriously considered volleyball, where she also had offers to play in college. She was a five-year starter in volleyball, earning All-Camden Conference honors four times and being named the conference's most valuable player her junior and senior years. She was a six-rotation player and middle blocker who was named all-state three times, piling up 1,942 career kills, 101 ace serves, 264 ace blocks and 1,153 digs. MACCRAY posted a 109-45 record while she started.
"Brielle is arguably the most well-rounded athlete I have seen," Wolverines volleyball coach Tory Brouwer said. "She has an innate court sense combined with athletic ability and hard work. She is one of the most humble, kind and selfless people I have had the opportunity to coach."
Basketball is, of course, her future. She was a four-time conference player of the year, a two-time all-stater and a member of the Class A all-tournament team her junior year when MACCRAY finished second. She was also a Miss Basketball Minnesota finalist.
And, her career numbers impress. She scored 3,046 points and compiled 1,395 rebounds, 458 assists, 629 steals and 192 blocks.
"Brielle became one of the best players in state history over her time at MACCRAY," said head girls basketball coach Shaun Condon. "(She) set career records for points, rebounds and steals by a wide margin. And she did it all by making her teammates better every year."
Track was where Janssen helped MACCRAY/Renville County West win a state championship in the 4x800-meter relay in 2025. She participated in state four straight years in track and said the relay title in 2025 was a highlight, too.
"i really loved track," Janssen said. "It's so laid back and just fun."
Janssen plans to major in speech pathology at Mankato.
"I've always wanted to work with kids and this is an opportunity to do that," she said.
She's all set to live in a school dormitory with three other first-year players on the women's basketball team. She already knows them all. She's been told that she'll play either small forward or shooting guard for the Mavericks. At 6-foot-1, she'll be taller than most players at those positions in NCAA Division II.
"Obviously, I have to earn my playing time," she said.
because she said she thought Division II offered a better balance between academics and athletics. She also was recruited by the University of North Dakota, a Division I school in Grand Forks. But if things hadn't worked out at Mankato, she said she likely would have wound up at Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall, another Division II school.
"DI is just another level of commitment," Janssen said.
But she says she's ready for it.
"I'm real excited," she said.
Here's a look at the other finalists for the Saunders-Tollefson Award:
Almich lettered three times in volleyball, twice earning All-Camden Conference honors as an outside and middle hitter, finishing with 481 kills, 114 digs, 49 ace serves and 43 ace blocks.
She lettered four times in basketball and earned all-conference honors, finishing with 1,039 career points, 765 points, 124 assists, 109 blocks and 93 steals.
In softball, she lettered six times. The catcher/shortstop was a two-time all-conference player, finishing with a .271 career batting average that included 70 runs, 22 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 47 walks, 58 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. She's attending Iowa State University for marketing and sports media communications.
Ankeny lettered in cross-country six times, earning All-West Central Conference honors five times. She's a four-time all-stater and state participant and also was academic all-state as well as a captain.
In basketball, she twice earned all-conference honors and twice made the West Central Tribune All-Area team, finishing her career with 1,168 points and helping the Lakes to a fourth-place finish in the Class AA state tournament as a junior. She was a captain who set the record record for steals in a game with 12, steals in a season with 150 and steals in a career with 414. She also holds the school record with 35 points in one game.
In track, she's a six-time all-conference member and multiple-time state meet participant who holds school records in the 300-meter hurdles, the 100 hurdles and 4x400 relay. She also has earned academic all-state honors and is a captain. She'll be attending Gustavus Adolphus College.
Birhanzl competed in volleyball and cross-country for two years and was a member of the varsity dance team for four years. She also lettered three times in softball and once in track and field.
She earned All-West Central Conference honors in track and in softball pitched and played second base and right field. In track, she finished second in the conference 1,600-meter run and won the 3,200 title.
She letter five times in tennis, earning all-conference four times while playing Nos. 1-3 singles and No. 1 doubles. She also participated in cross-country for two seasons, qualifying for state in 2020 and '21. She qualified for state in tennis in 2025.
She was a four-team letter-winner in basketball, playing for a state tournament team her junior year and earning all-conference honors once.
In track and field, she is a six-time all-conference member who participated in multiple events at state for four years. She also earned academic all-state honors. and was an all-stater multiple times. She is planning to attend Bethel University.
Elfering was a starting libero for two years, earning All-West Central Conference honors once. She finished her 2025 season with 350 digs and 20 ace serves and her career with 597 digs and 37 ace serves.
In basketball, she lettered three times and earned all-conference honors once. The forward had 312 points, 248 rebounds, 72 steals, 32 assists and 18 blocks in 2025-26, earning team MVP and Academic All-State honors. She finished her career with 448 points, 466 rebounds and 113 steals.
She was a four-time letter-winner in track and field, earning all-conference honors twice. She earned 449.25 total team points earned in her career, which would put her in the top five since 2014 for BOLD/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart.
She was a three-year starter on the football team as a kicker, earning all-district honors three times as well as academic all-district honors twice and academic all-state once. In 2025, she was the district special teams player of the year, making 25 of 29 extra points. She also was an all-conference tennis player three times through 2022, earning academic all-conference honors.
She was a two-year starter and one-time all-conference selection in basketball, helping the Lakers to a state class AA tournament berth her junior year when Minnewaska took fourth.
She was a five-time letter-winner in track and field, earning all-conference four times in shot put and discus. She qualified for state five times and earned all-state honors in four of those years, also earning academic all-state honors. She was the Class A champion in the girls' shot put as a sophomore.
She is headed to North Dakota State University to continue her track and field career.
She was a captain in tennis, hockey and golf, earning 12 varsity letters, multiple All-Central Lakes Conference awards and receiving Senior Scholar Athlete accolades in all three sports as well as earning Academic All-State honors in hockey. She has five team MVP awards and has competed in multiple state golf tournaments.
She is also the school's Minnesota State High School League Triple-A Award winner and a Region 8AA finalist who has a 4.008 grade-point average. She was named Willmar's senior female athlete of the year. In golf, she shot a 69 on May 8 in the pre-section meet in Sauk Centre. It's believed to be a girls' school record.
Mara is headed to Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to continue her golf career.
Munsch started in volleyball for one season as a defensive specialist, playing on a sate tournament team in 2024. She then switched over to cross-country, where the Wildcats won the state title. Munsch earned All-Wright County Conference and All-State honors.
She was a three-time letterwinner in basketball, starting for two seasons and earning all-conference and all-area honorable mention honors. She finished her career with two state tournament appearance and 672 career points, 217 assists and 231 steals.
She was a four-time letter-winner in track and field, earning all-conference three times in multiple events. She was part of a 4x800 relay team that set a Wright County Conference record in 2026 and also placed first in the 800. She also ran in the state meet and was the anchor on the Wildcats' Class A state champion 4x800 relay.
She lettered three times in volleyball, piling up 313 career digs, 168 kills and 42 service aces. She lettered four times in basketball, earning all-conference honors at guard. She had 1,078 career points, 183 rebounds, 231 assists and 201 steals.
In softball, she lettered six times, starting for six years. The three-time all-conference performer pitched and played left field. She finished with a .321 career batting average that included 94 runs, 15 doubles, five triples, one home run, 46 walks, 73 RBIs and 68 stolen bases. As a pitcher, she led YME to the Section 3A final. She finished with a 49-38 career won-lost record, striking out 933 batters and walking 260 in 568 innings. She threw 17 shutouts and one no-hitter.
She plans to attend Minnesota State University in Mankato and majoring in communication sciences and disorders.
Swedzinski earned three varsity letters in cross-country, where she was a captain for two season. She lettered five times in girls basketball, earning All-Camden Conference honors. She also was a captain for two seasons, earning two all-conference honors as well as academic all-state honors her senior year. She scored 793 career points.
She was a six-time letter-winner in golf, earning all-conference honors four times. She was a five-time state entrant and two-time all-stater, helping the Blackjacks to back-to-back state Class A titles.
She is headed to Southwest Minnesota State University to continue her golf career and study psychology.
She was a four-time letterwinner in volleyball who earned all-state honors as an outside hitter and six rotation player, recording career marks of 1,234 kills, 204 ace serves, 41 blocks and 987 blocks. MACCRAY had a record of 68-26 in her three years as a starter.
She also lettered four times in basketball, twice making the West Central Tribune All-Area team and earning all-tournament honors in the Class A state tournament in 2025. She finished with 1,386 points, 857 rebounds, 149 assists and 174 steals.
In track and field, she lettered six teams, winning conference championships in the high jump and shot put. She was a state qualifier in the discus and shot put and is headed to the University of Sioux Falls to continue her volleyball career.
1979
Linda Richards
Buffalo Lake
1980
Kris Hanson
Granite Falls
1981
Bonnie Hendrickson
Willmar
1982
Kay Konerza
Lester Prairie
1983
Ann Meyer
Sauk Centre
1984
Diane DeRoo
Brooten
1985
Corinne Anderson
Willmar
1986
Michele Marthaler
Brooten
1987
Kristin Peterman
New London-Spicer
1988
Wendy Adams
Cosmos
1989
Kelly Mahlum
DRSH
1990
Jill Knisley
Litchfield
1991
Darci DeHoux
MACCRAY
1992
Kelli Geurtz
MACCRAY
1993
Kristina Ervin/Tonia Nelson
MACCRAY/New London-Spicer
1994
Susan Semmler
New London-Spicer
1995
Carrie Tollefson
Dawson-Boyd
1996
Carrie Jacobson
Willmar
1997
Chelsea Stiel
Benson
1998
Jessica Ackerman
New London-Spicer
1999
Becky Moen
Morris
2000
Carin Rambow
Litchfield
2001
Heather Hyatt
Morris
2002
Krista Rambow
Litchfield
2003
Greta Peterson
Yellow Medicine East
2004
Kara Karlsgodt/Beth Zimmer
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City/Willmar
2005
Alyssa Dahl
Willmar
2006
Laura Nielsen
Willmar
2007
Nikki Swenson
Dawson-Boyd
2008
Megan Groen
Renville County West
2009
Heidi Lensing/Emily Roelike
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (both)
2010
Abby Fragodt
Benson
2011
Dani Schultz
Morris
2012
Kendra Schmidgall
Hancock
2013
Emma Peterson
Benson
2014
Taylor Thunstedt/Ashley Hoehne
New London-Spicer/Montevideo
2015
Lauren Reimers
Morris/Chokio-Alberta
2016
Espi Austvold
New London-Spicer
2017
Samantha Gjerde
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg
2018
Cayle Hovland
Willmar
2019
Erica Schramm
Willmar
2020
Makayla Snow
BOLD
2021
Avery Stilwell
Litchfield
2022
Kessa Mara
Willmar
2023
Avery Koenen
Montevideo
2024
Kenzie Visser
BOLD
2025
Lauren Eilers
Willmar
2026 Brielle Janssen MACCRAY