St. Edward's Athletics announced AINSLEY THUNELL as its 2024-25 Servant-Leadership Award-winner during Tuesday night's awards ceremony and end-of-year banquet, the Goatspy Awards. 
 
The Servant-Leadership Award recognized a current student-athlete, athletic training student, or team manager who has significantly impacted others by encouraging, supporting, and enabling them to unfold their full potential and abilities. 
 
Coaches nominated candidates, with a committee of administrators, coaches, and sports information staff selecting the winner. 
 
Thunell is St. Edward's women's basketball's two-year starting center and one of this season's team captains. On the court, Thunell is among the most selfless players on the team, guarding the other team's primary post threat. Offensively, she moved the ball, set screens, crashed the glass, and filled in the gaps. 
 
Off the court, Thunell was a member of the team's leadership group that defined and set the team's culture guidelines over the summer. 
 
"Leadership is influence and servant-leadership is prioritizing the needs of others over personal gain, and that summarizes Ainsley," St. Edward's Head Women's Basketball Coach J.J. Riehl says. "She uses her influence to take care of the team, sometimes at the expense of stats and her physical and mental health. We always say leave a place better than you found it, and she did that through her service and her love."