St. Cloud Cathedral Senior Earns Statewide Positive Athlete Honor

(KNSI) – St. Cloud Cathedral senior Bayley Schneider will be honored this weekend for her leadership on the field.

Schneider is a 2026 Positive Athlete of the Year, an honor sponsored by Positive Athlete Minnesota. The organization recognizes the top seven boys and top seven girls in the state, along with a male and female positive coach of the year.

Honorees will be recognized on the field at Target Field before the Minnesota Twins host the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, May 17th, at noon. Two $1,000 Twins Tradition Scholarships and one $2,500 Great Lakes Region O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Scholarship will also be awarded during the ceremony.

A three-sport athlete, Schneider competes in softball, soccer and dance for the Crusaders. She served as softball captain last year and soccer captain this year, and is part of the dance team’s leadership group.

Schneider was nominated by Cathedral Athletic Director Emmett Keenan and learned of her selection through an email a few weeks ago. She told KNSI News her reaction was disbelief. “Oh my gosh, no way. Like, I’m shaking. No way this happened.”

Schneider says the honor came at a meaningful time. “Sometimes, as an athlete you’re going to question whether, especially as a leader, you’re going to question whether you’re making the right choices or not.”

She credits the tight-knit Cathedral community for shaping her experience. “Most people that you do get to know, even just for maybe one year on a sports team, tend to be some of your closest friends.”

Schneider says positivity is the leadership quality she leans on most, both for herself and her teammates. She also credits her grandfather and parents for modeling a consistent positive approach to sports and competition.

She plans to attend The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth in the fall.

The other girls named Positive Athletes of the Year are Megan Watson (Burnsville), Eden Wolf (Eagan), Gwynneth Skoogman (Hill-Murray), Jaci Jordan (Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial), Caylee Kuehne (Long Prairie-Grey Eagle) and Sydney Klar (Stewartville).

The boys honorees are Ryan Christiansen (Apple Valley), Ryan Masters (Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial), Grady Evenson (Lakeville South), Troy Pozinski (Maranatha Christian Academy), Colby Kuehl (Martin County West), Grady Weinbrenner (Rogers) and James Hansen (St. Paul Central).

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