Metro Players of the Year: Individual sports, team players

The Star Tribune's Metro Players of the Year in badminton and boys' tennis were state champions in individual play but thrived on being part of a team.

For Song Yang of St. Paul Johnson, it meant being the captain of a team that captured the triple crown of Minnesota high school badminton — winning the singles, doubles and team state titles. For Bjorn Swenson of Mounds View, it meant winning the state 2A singles title for the second time but feeling anguish from falling short in team competition, where the Mustangs lost in the section finals.

In different ways, Yang and Swenson have made commitments to younger players at their schools. You can read about what they are by tapping here: Song Yang | Bjorn Swenson

When it came to the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year for Boys' and Girls' golf, this year was all about chasing and realizing dreams.

Isabella McCauley said she didn't even realize her dream was possible until the junior from Simley clinched a spot in the field for the U.S. Women's Open. For Nate Stevens of Northfield, the dream was seven years in the making, when the senior won the Class 3A boys' golf individual championship.

You can read about how McCauley and Stevens chased their dreams by tapping here: Isabella McCauley | Nate Stevens

For the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year in Boys' and Girls' track and field, both standout athletes found the sport in a secondary way.

Soccer is the main game for Edina junior Maddie Dahlien, and track was viewed as a way to work different muscle groups — that differentiation worked as Dahlien won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races at the Class 2A girls' state meet. And Prior Lake's Gabe Smit got into track in seventh grade not knowing what to expect, but hoping to find a discipline where he could excel. Smit did just that this season, winning the Class 2A state meet in the 3,200 and 1,600.

You can read Dahlien and Smit's stories by tapping here: Maddie Dahlien | Gabe Smit