Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Commissioner Erin Lind announced the recipients of the tenth annual NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award winners Friday, January 18. The Golden Eagles had eight recipients of the distinguished honor. The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) was one shy of their school-record nine selections during the 2014-15 academic year.
The honor named for the late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, is bestowed to senior NSIC student-athletes who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, are exhausting their eligibility and are on track to graduate. Each student-athlete will be recognized by the NSIC with a certificate of achievement and a wristwatch. Furthermore, each institution is highly encouraged to have these student-athletes be publicly recognized at a home athletic event.
A record number of 156 student-athletes from the NSIC’s 16 institutions received the award in its tenth year, nine more than last year’s record of 147.
The Golden Eagles were represented by: Jordan Deadwyler (Baseball, Jacksonville, Fla., Communication), Mikayla Jones (Softball, Huxley, Iowa, Sports and Rec Management), Caitlin Michaelis (Women’s Basketball, Marshfield, Wis., Elementary Education), Maggie Morales (Softball, Tucson, Ariz., Exercise Science and Wellness), Chase Knickerbocker (Men’s Basketball, Annandale, Minn., Finance), Ryan Ratcliff (Football, Bloomer, Wis., Exercise Science and Wellness), Callie Schapekahm (Volleyball, Eagan, Minn., Health Management), and Nelson Uzonwa (Football, Lagos, Nigeria, Criminal Justice).
The softball team and the football team received the most honors for the Golden Eagles with two apiece.
Dr. Myles N. Brand, visionary leader, educator, and reformer served as the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2003-09. He passed away in September 2009 at the age of 67 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Brand presided over passage of the most comprehensive academic reform package for intercollegiate athletics in recent history – a package that refocused the attention of student-athletes, coaches and administrators on the education of student-athletes. Brand also changed the national dialog on college sports to emphasize the educational value of athletics participation and the integration of intercollegiate athletics with the academic mission of higher education. His impact on Division II ran deep by implementing an identity campaign and a strategic-positioning platform tied to specific divisional attributes. He challenged Division II to continue its game environment and community engagement focus, and improve academic success rates.
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with teams located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The mission of the NSIC is to promote, conduct, and regulate competitive sports programs which will assist student-athletes in their successful athletic, academic, and personal development.
