Local awards presented on 30th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day

On the 30th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day, 22 individuals or programs received awards in seven separate categories during ceremonies held Wednesday at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

Among the winners and their awards:

• Cheryl King, a physical education teacher and coach in the Anoka/Champlin Park/Park high schools — Marie Berg Award for Excellence in Education;

• Anne Abicht, former director of athletic media relations for St. Cloud State — Kwame McDonald Media Award;

• Alexis Shifflett, U.S. Paralympic volleyball team member — Wilma Rudolph Award for Courage and Inspiration;

• Eleanor Hansen, Carleton College — Legacy Award;

• The Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA — Milestone Award for continued achievement over a period of time.

Thirteen Breaking Barriers Awards were also presented.

• Longtime St. Scholastica men's and women's cross-country coach Steve Pfingsten will retire March 1. He has coached those teams for 26 years, and was their head coach for 24.

• Six Minnesotans were named to prepvolleyball.com's All-America team.

They are seniors Ella Francis, Prior Lake, and Brittany McLean, Rosemount, and juniors Mariena Hayden, Belle Plaine, and Sydney Hilley, Champlin Park, and Payton Nutter, Faribault Bethlehem Academy, and Brie Orr, Eagan.

• Junior Yu Zhou of the Gophers was named the Big Ten's women's diver of the week. She swept the 1- and 3-meter springboard events in a double dual with Northwestern and Purdue. Her scores in both were NCAA Zone qualifying marks.