ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T swimmer Connor Bichsel and cross country and track & field student-athlete Emma Puetz were named as the winners of the Student-Athlete of the Year awards for the 2023-24 season to headline the Green & Gold Gala held Sunday evening at Havener Center on the S&T campus.

Bichsel and Puetz were among several individuals that received awards at Sunday night's event, which included the coaches of the year for the past season, as well as staff and volunteer awards that were presented.

Bichsel earned five All-America awards at the NCAA Division II Championships during a year in which he also set two school records on an individual basis and was part of a relay team that set a third.  He set new standards in the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys with finishes of second in both events at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, while being part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that set the mark at the national meet.  Bichsel had finishes of fifth in the 400-IM and seventh in the 200-IM at the NCAA Championships, while also winning the consolation final in both the 200-yard butterfly and 200-yard breaststroke.

Puetz had an outstanding cross country season at S&T, culminating with a second place finish at the GLVC Championships and 13^th place showing at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.  She set new school records in cross country for both the five- and six-kilometer events and had four finishes during the season among the top three in races, helping her earn three GLVC Athlete of the Week awards during the year.  Her performances on the course as well as in the classroom also led to Puetz being selected as the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's cross country, the first S&T student-athlete in that sport to earn the award.  During the track & field season, Puetz set a new school record in the outdoor 5,000-meter run.

Chad Green and Andy Halaz were named as the Coaches of the Year. Green led the Miner golf team to a second place finish at the GLVC Match Play Championships and to a second straight appearance at the NCAA Division II Central/Midwest Regional; the team finished first or second in seven of the 10 tournaments it played in this season.  Halaz guided the women's volleyball team to post-season competition as well, as the Miners reached the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament and earned the program's third berth to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.

S&T's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, who put on the Sunday event, also named strength and conditioning coach David Edwards and assistant athletic director for alumni and community relations Susan Cochran as its Staff Members of the Year, Jenalee Edwards as the Athletic Trainer of the Year and awarded Volunteer of the Year honors to Gary Hammock, Mark Potrafka and David Randall for their contributions in assisting the athletic program.