(05/01/2025) Five female student-athletes — one from each of Anoka-Hennepin’s five traditional high schools — have been recognized for their hard work in the classroom and athletics. 

The Athena Award is given to one senior female athlete from each participating school who has distinguished herself in a special individual athletic achievement or superior achievements in one or more sports. 

This year’s Anoka-Hennepin Athena Award winners are:

• Mackenzie Jones, Andover High School.
• Maddy Freking, Anoka High School.
• Katelyn Wozniak, Blaine High School.
• Abby Hibbs, Champlin Park High School.
• Lily McKenzie, Coon Rapids High School.

The student-athletes were recognized at the 53rd Annual Minneapolis Athena Awards luncheon on Friday, May 2, at the Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center.

Mackenzie Jones is a four-year letterwinner in hockey, track and field, earning two letters in soccer at Andover High School. In her senior season in 2025, Jones was named a finalist for the Ms. Hockey Award. She finished her career with 44 goals and 89 assists, totaling 133 points in four seasons. Jones was a four-time all-conference award winner, a two-time all-state selection in hockey and earned MSHSL all-tournament team honors in 2022. In soccer, she earned all-conference honors once. She has been involved in the community volunteering at Feed My Starving Children and has been a volunteer hockey coach for MN Elite, Andover Huskies Youth Association, the Junior Huskies and Learn to Skate programs. Jones has been a member of the Spanish and Rock Climbing clubs and was active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) at Andover. Jones will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall where she will continue her academic and hockey career.

Maddy Freking is a four-year letterwinner in basketball and softball, earning one letter in volleyball. In 2025, she became Anoka’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder in girls basketball history. Freking also holds the single season scoring record in basketball. She was twice named captain of the basketball team and earned all-conference and all-section honors in all four seasons. In softball, Freking has also been a team captain for two seasons while earning four all-conference and all-section honors. She has also been named all-state once in softball. In 2020, Freking was recognized with the Minnesota Milestone Award at the 34th Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day alongside Krissy Wendell, a U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member. Freking was a member of the Coon Rapids/Andover American Little League team that advanced to the Little League World Series (LLWS) in 2019, becoming just the 19th girl to play and the sixth to pitch in the LLWS. She has been active in the community, leading youth clinics for softball and basketball and has been a member of the National Honor Society. Freking will continue her academic and athletic career at the University of St. Thomas, where she will be a member of the softball team.  

Katelyn Wozniak earned three letters in basketball and tennis and will be a four-year letterwinner in track and field for the Bengals. She earned all-conference honorable mention honors as a senior in tennis and the coaches' award as a sophomore. In basketball, Wozniak was named a team captain her senior season and earned all-conference honorable mention honors as a junior. She is a four-time all-conference award winner in track and field, earning recognition in the 4x400 relay, 400-meter run and the 4x200 relay. She earned honorable mention honors in the high jump as a junior. She was a member of a state runner-up relay team in the 4x200 as a junior and helped her 4x400 relay team to a state championship run as a sophomore. She has also been named academic all-state twice in track and field. Wozniak has been a leader in Blaine’s Link Crew and has been a member of the National Honor Society at BHS. She will continue her academic and track and field career in the fall of 2025 at the University of St. Thomas.    

Abby Hibbs is a six-time letterwinner in cross country and track and field, and a five-time letterwinner in Nordic skiing. She was twice named team captain of the Nordic ski team at CPHS. She was named MVP of the cross country team six times during her career, qualifying for the state tournament six times. She has earned six all-conference awards in cross country, four in track and field, and five in Nordic skiing. Hibbs has also qualified for state four times in track and field and three times in Nordic. She will attend North Dakota State University in the fall of 2025 to continue her academic, cross country and track and field career.  

Lily McKenzie is a four-sport athlete at Coon Rapids High School where she competed in cross country, hockey, golf and softball. She has earned five letters in cross country, four in hockey, three in softball and two in golf. She was a team captain of the cross country and golf teams as a senior and spent two seasons as a team captain of the hockey team. She earned all-conference honorable mention honors in golf and was twice named all-conference in hockey. In 2025, she was named Ms. Hockey Honorable Mention after putting up 49 points, including 24 goals and 25 assists. McKenzie finished her career with 65 goals, 86 assists and 151 points. She has spent time volunteering and coaching youth players in both hockey and softball. McKenzie will continue her academic and hockey career at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the fall of 2025.