Saint Mary's senior defender Dakota Leonard (Sr. | Lincolnshire, Ill. | Adlai E. Stevenson) earned MIAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after anchoring a stingy Cardinals defense in 2024. With Leonard at center-back, Saint Mary’s shut out seven conference opponents and allowed just four goals in eleven conference games. Leonard is the second player in program history to be named MIAC Defensive Player of the Year, joining 2021 recipient Alexis Nguyen.