Fr. Wilfred Theisen Award

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University graduate Ryan Thissen '24 (Rosemount, Minn./Eastview) was named the recipient of the 2025 Fr. Wilfred Theisen Student-Athlete of the Year Award, sponsored by the J-Club, on Thursday, Sept. 18. 

The award recognizes an SJU varsity, senior student-athlete (or two) who has excelled in the classroom and in their sport.

Thissen will be honored on Homecoming Saturday – Sept. 27 – at the J-Club Hall of Honor banquet. The dinner and enshrinement ceremony begins at 5:15 p.m. in Guild Hall (Old Gym). A Homecoming Celebration social will take place outside the venue following the Johnnies' football game against Augsburg in Clemens Stadium prior to the dinner and program. 

Registration is $75 per person before Sept. 21 ($100 per person after) and includes dinner and beverages. Children ages 6-12 are $35 and those ages six-and-under are free. All proceeds go to the J-Club to support SJU athletics.

To register to attend, click here.

A three-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American, Thissen graduated in May 2024 with a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry (pre-medicine emphasis). He was also a three-time CSC Academic All-District selection, a four-time Academic All-MIAC honoree (minimum 3.5 GPA) and a three-time MIAC Elite 22 Award recipient for having the highest cumulative GPA among student-athletes who participated in the MIAC Playoffs. 

On the court, Thissen was named to the 2025 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America second team and both the D3hoops.com All-Region 9 and NABC All-District 9 first teams last season. The D3hoops.com All-Region honor was the second for Thissen, who earned third-team honors in 2022-23. He became the program's sixth All-American and first since Aaron Burtzel '11 in 2011 (D3hoops.com All-America honorable mention).

He helped lead Team Fenlon to a 104-92 win over Team Lambert in the 2025 NABC Division III College All-Star Game in March. Thissen made the start for Team Fenlon and was second on the squad with 15 points on a 7-for-10 shooting performance (1-for-2 from three-point). He also grabbed seven rebounds with two assists in 20 minutes of play.

Thissen was named the 2024-25 MIAC Offensive Player of the Year and was a three-time All-MIAC (2023-25) selection. He led SJU in minutes (29.0 mpg.) and scoring (14.7 ppg.) as eight Johnnies averaged 8.5 points or more per game this season. Thissen was also second in rebounding (5.3 rpg.), assists (75) and steals (19). 

He ended his career second in program history with 1,680 career points and is SJU's all-time leader in games played (114) – all starts – and ranks ninth in assists (287).

Theisen '52 taught physics at SJU for 47 years and was named professor emeritus upon his retirement in 2005. He was a former SJU faculty representative to the MIAC and a treasurer of the J-Club. He received the J-Club Distinguished Service Award in 2019, six years after the Student-Athlete of the Year Award was established in his honor.

SJU varsity coaches provide the award's nominations for the Fr. Wilfred Theisen Award and the J-Club Board makes the selection annually.

Founded in 1959, the J-Club is a dues-based booster organization of former Johnnie student-athletes, parents and fans, and plays a key role in support of the SJU varsity programs, intramurals and club sports. 

Past Fr. Wilfred Theisen Student-Athlete of the Year Award Recipients
2013 - Dennis Granath '13 (Golf)
2014 - Michael Coborn '14 (Soccer)
2015 - J.T. Ford '15 (Football)
2016 - Alex Niederloh '16 (Soccer)/Sam Sura '16 (Football)
2017 - Mack Farley '17 (Golf)/Carter Hanson '17 (Football)
2018 - Sam Olson '18 (Golf)
2019 - Will Gillach '19 (Football)/David Stokman '18 (Basketball)
2020 - Ben Bartch '20 (Football)
2021 - Tanner Dufault '21 (Hockey)/Brady Labine '21 (Track)
2022 - Maguire Petersen '22 (Track & Field)
2023 - Lloyd Young '23 (Cross Country/Track & Field)
2024 - Kevin Arthur (Track & Field)/Nate Loxtercamp '24 (Golf)
2025 - Ryan Thissen '24 (Basketball)