For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

BURNSVILLE, Minn. — The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) announced Northern State University’s Joe Gomez as the 2017 Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award winner and Northern State University’s Sasha Hovind as the 2017 Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.  The Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence, in its 33rd year, recognizes the NSIC’s top male student-athlete and the Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award, in its 32nd year, is presented to the NSIC’s top female student-athlete. This marks the sixth time that student-athletes from the same institution earned the Britton and Kelly Awards during the same year.  

The Britton Award was created in 1985 in honor of Dr. William Britton, a longtime faculty representative at Bemidji State University. The Kelly Award is named in honor of Willis R. Kelly, an associate professor of physical education at the University of Minnesota-Morris. A member of the NSIC Hall of Fame, Kelly also coordinated the Minnesota-Morris Physical Education Department from 1970-87. She became the first director of women’s intercollegiate athletics at Minnesota-Morris in 1976 and was later promoted to athletics director for the whole department. Kelly passed away in 1988.

The member institutions of the NSIC nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the Britton and Kelly Awards. The nominees must meet the following criteria: a grade point average of 3.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale); evidence of academic excellence beyond the minimum grade point average (scholarship prizes and other academic recognition), evidence of participation in the life of the institution, and evidence of participation in at least two-thirds of the varsity events of the individual’s primary sport. The award is voted on by the NSIC Faculty Athletic Representatives.

The 31 student-athletes nominated for the NSIC’s two most prestigious awards will also be honored as NSIC Male and Female Honor Student-Athletes of the Year at their respective institutions. Gomez and Hovind will be recognized Tuesday, July 11 at the 2017 NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet at the Best Western Premier in Burnsville, Minn. and will each receive a $2,500 post-graduate scholarship.

2017 Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence
Joe Gomez - Northern State University - Wrestling
Joe Gomez, a native of Graham, Washington, is a senior majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and psychology at Northern State University. The Graham-Kapowsin High School graduate holds a 3.93 GPA while excelling in wrestling for the Wolves. Gomez joins Baron Blanchard (2004), Tucker Willard (2003), Lance Luitjens (1996), Jay Kusler (1993), and Jeff Kretchman (1986) in the elite pack of Wolves to earn the Britton Award.

Gomez was on the Dean’s list every semester at NSU and was a WolfPACT Scholarship recipient. He was honored in the athletic department for reaching the Gold Level for Academic Excellence (3.7 GPA or higher). In the fall of 2014, Gomez conducted an undergraduate research project titled “Frequency of the white-eyed gene in the F3 generation of fruit flies”. In 2015 and 2016, Gomez was chosen for the NWCA Academic All-American team and in 2015 was awarded First Team Capital One Academic All-District. Gomez was an NCAA Elite 90 finalist with the third best GPA at the national tournament in 2016. Gomez also earned the NSIC Elite 18 Award for wrestling this past season.

On campus, Gomez is a two-year member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and serves as the NSU SAAC Liaison. He is also involved in SAAC’s Adopt-A-Wolf program, visiting area elementary classrooms each week to read to and mentor students. Last spring, Gomez was chosen as the NSIC student representative for the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Orlando, Florida. He is currently working as a Supplemental Instruction leader for Biology 325, Physiology, and is an Additional Instructor for Biology 101 Biological Survey. Joe is a three-year member of the NSU Biology Club.

On the mat, Gomez was a four-year varsity letter-winner in wrestling and has compiled a 107-39 career record. Gomez earned All-American honors in the last three seasons, as he was national runner-up in 2016, placed eighth in 2015 and seventh in 2017.  He earned first team All-NSIC honors in 2015 and 2016, and second team honors in 2017. Gomez is a two-time captain of the wrestling team; earned the NSU Rookie of the Year Award for the 2013-14 season; and the NSU Wrestler of the Year Award for both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

Gomez has served as a volunteer for the South Dakota Special Olympics State Bowling Tournament and the South Dakota Senior Olympics Volleyball Tournament. He has officiated at various youth wrestling tournaments throughout the region and has helped coach with the Aberdeen Youth Wrestling Club. Additionally, Gomez has served as a volunteer judge for the State High School Science Fair.

2017 Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence on Next Page
Sasha Hovind - Northern State University - Cross Country / Track & Field

Sasha Hovind, a native of Stirum, North Dakota, is a senior majoring in elementary education at Northern State University. The North Sargent High School graduate holds a 4.00 grade point average while excelling in cross country and track & field for the Wolves. She joins Kristin Peterson (2004), Mollie Odell (1997) and Mary Kortan (1990) in the elite pack of Wolves to earn the Kelly Award.
 
Hovind was on the Dean’s list every semester at NSU and was a WolfPACT Scholarship recipient.  She earned multiple NSIC and USTFCCCA All-Academic honors along with being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District teams for cross country and track & field.  She earned NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction honors and was named the NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for indoor track & field. Hovind was awarded membership into the NSU Honors Program in the fall of 2014 and spends time writing recruitment letters to prospective honors students as well as meeting with prospective education students in-person when they come to campus for a visit.  

Hovind has been a member of the NSU Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC) since the fall of 2013 and is currently the organization president.  She promotes membership to this organization by regularly sharing information with students and participating in on-campus club rushes.  Hovind volunteered with NSU’s ‘The Pack Gives Back’ Program in 2014 and she quickly became the student voice of the committee for 2015 and 2016. Activities for the Pack Gives Back have included working at the Journey Home as well as the Kids Against Hunger Second-Hand Store. She has also been an active member of the NSU SAAC since 2013 and served as the secretary of the organization from 2014 to 2015. Sasha’s community involvement activities for SAAC include organizing food drives and collecting food items for the local food pantry, distributing faculty appreciation cards, collecting signatures for ‘It’s a Slam Dunk - Don’t Drive Drunk’ campaign, and creating a mental health awareness PowerPoint and poster to be displayed at a Northern State basketball game.  She is a member of the Adopt-A-Wolf program since 2015, where she has volunteered in a kindergarten classrooms.

A distance runner in both cross country and track & field, Hovind is an eight-time NCAA Division II All-American.  She earned the accolade six times in track and two times in cross country with one more season remaining in both outdoor track and cross country.  Hovind was the 2014 NSIC Women’s Cross Country Individual Champion and won the 2016 5000m run at the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Hovind has participated in the Read Across America event at the Aberdeen Mall for four years creating fun reading activities for children. Some of her other volunteerism efforts focusing on literacy include participating in Bethlehem Lutheran Literacy Night; Christmas Craft Night at the Civic Center; May Overby Multicultural Literacy Night; and the Roncalli Read Across the Globe Literacy Event.  She also had the pleasure of reading Dr. Seuss stories at a local elementary during Dr. Seuss Week and presenting each child with a book they could keep. A highlight of her volunteerism efforts includes spending time playing games, reading, and working with students at the local Montessori School of Aberdeen during the 2016 fall semester

2016-17 NSIC Men’s Honor Student-Athlete Award Winners
Nathan Merriman	Augustana	Jr.	Football	Niwot, Colo.	Niwot HS
Gena Adams	Bemidji State	Sr.	Football	Phoenix, Ariz.	Shadow Mountain HS
Samuel Johnson	Concordia-St Paul	Sr.	Football	Appleton, Wis.	Appleton East HS
Isaac Lindquist	University of Mary	Sr.	Men’s Basketball	Milbank, S.D.	Milbank HS
Grant Pulver	Minnesota Duluth	Jr.	Cross Country	Chippewa Falls, Wis.	McDonell Central Catholic HS
Adam Cooling	Minnesota State	Sr.	Wrestling	Madelia, Minn.	Madelia HS
Joseph Tjosvold	MSU Moorhead	Jr.	Football	Lake Elmo, Minn.	Tartan HS
Nate Mertens	Minot State	Sr.	Men’s Basketball	Devils Lake, N.D.	Devils Lake HS
Joseph Gomez	Northern State	Sr.	Wrestling	Graham, Wash.	Graham-Kapowsin HS
Luke Papilion	Sioux Falls	Sr.	Football	Denver, Colo.	Cherry Creek HS
Austin LaFollette	Southwest Minnesota State	Sr.	Track & Field	Edgerton, Minn.	Edgerton Public HS
Brett Velasquez	St. Cloud State	Jr.	Wrestling	Bennington, Neb.	Bennington Public HS
Sawyer Bawek	Upper Iowa	Sr.	Baseball	Arcadia, Wis.	Arcadia HS
Joseph Lenihan	Wayne State	Sr.	Baseball	Wayne, Neb.	Wayne HS
Joshua Mongan	Winona State	Sr.	Men’s Basketball	Germantown, Wis.	Germantown HS
2016-17 NSIC Women’s Honor Student-Athlete Award Winners
Jordan Bormann	Augustana	Sr.	Women’s Golf	Parkston, S.D.	Parkston HS
Sarah Stram	Bemidji State	Sr.	Soccer	Elk Grove Village, Ill.	Elk Grove HS
Riley Hanson	Concordia-St Paul	Sr.	Volleyball	Nevis, Minn.	Nevis Public HS
Melanie Rodriguez	University of Mary	Sr.	Track & Field	Burlington, Ontario	Notre Dame Catholic HS
Sierra Trost	Minnesota Crookston	Sr.	Volleyball	Ham Lake, Minn.	Blaine HS
Anna Monke	Minnesota Duluth	Jr.	Women’s Basketball	Fergus Falls, Minn.	Fergus Falls HS
Krista Hassing	Minnesota State	Sr.	Volleyball	Blue Earth, Minn.	Blue Earth Area HS
MaKenzie Smith	MSU Moorhead	Sr.	Cross Country	Donnelly, Minn.	Morris Area HS
Kayla Barke	Minot State	Sr.	Women’s Golf	Williston, N.D.	Williston HS
Sasha Hovind	Northern State	Sr.	Track & Field	Stirum, N.D.	North Sargent HS
Samantha Knecht	Sioux Falls	Sr.	Women’s Basketball	Platte, S.D.	Aberdeen Central HS
Rhiannon Sears	Southwest Minnesota State	Sr.	Track & Field	Pierre, S.D.	TF Riggs HS
Andrea Bryson	St. Cloud State	Jr.	Swimming/Diving	Appleton, Wis.	Appleton North HS
Monia Rohe	Upper Iowa	Sr.	Women’s Golf	Onalaska, Wis.	Onalaska HS
Megan Gebhardt	Wayne State	Jr.	Volleyball	Norfolk, Neb.	Lutheran High Northeast HS
Tara Roelofs	Winona State	Sr.	Women’s Basketball	Vernon Center, Minn.	Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial HS

 

Annual Britton Award Recipients		Annual Kelly Award Recipients
2017 - Joe Gomez, Northern State		2017 - Sasha Hovind, Northern State
2016 - Matthew Horan, Sioux Falls		2016 - Claire Sames, Southwest Minnesota State
2015 - Kowan O'Keefe, Minot State		2015 - Whitney Burmeister, Southwest Minnesota State
2014 - William Brockmueller, Sioux Falls		2014 - Rachel Patnoe, Southwest Minnesota State
2013 - Alex Coulter, Winona State		2013 - Elizabeth (Ellie) Duffy, Concordia-St. Paul
2012 - Cody Lensing, Augustana		2012 - Kendra Heuttl, Minnesota State
2011 - Matt Braithwaite, Augustana		2011 - Rebecca Anderson, Minnesota Duluth
2010 - Marcus Greatens, Winona State		2010 - Lauren Brown, Winona State
2009 - Kirk Ingram, Concordia-St. Paul		2009 - Mary Slinger, Concordia-St. Paul
2008 - Tyler Fischer, Southwest Minnesota State		2008 - Kallie Tellefsen, Winona State
2007 - Tyler Fischer, Southwest Minnesota State		2007 - Jessica Trautwein, MSU Moorhead
2006 - Dusty Smith, Wayne State		2006 - Kathryn Kramer, Winona State
2005 - Brett Watson, Wayne State		2005 - Lindsay Hartmann, MSU Moorhead
2004 - Baron Blanchard, Northern State		2004 - Kristin Peterson, Northern State
2003 - Tucker Willard, Northern State		2003 - Karen Darveaux, Winona State
2002 - Steven Brandt, Minnesota Crookston		2002 - Christy Kubat, Southwest State
2001 - Mike May, Bemidji State		2001 - Angela Swanson, Minnesota Crookston
2000 - Adam Vossen, MSU Moorhead		2000 - Abby Stritesky, Bemidji State
1999 - Bart Johnson, MSU Moorhead		1999 - Janelle Gibbs, Southwest State
1998 - Stephen Blackmarr, Minnesota Duluth		1998 - Betsy Pachal, Minnesota Duluth
1997 - Jesse Beckermann, Minnesota Duluth		1997 - Mollie Odell,  Northern State
1996 - Lance Luitjens, Northern State		1996 - Paige Karno, Southwest State
1995 - Nate Gruber, Winona State		1995 - Katy Pivec, Southwest State
1994 - Jeff Engbrecht, Winona State		1994 - Amy Tenute, MSU Moorhead
1993 - Jay Kusler, Northern State		1993 - Amy Erickson, Minnesota Duluth
1992 - Jeff Welder, MSU Moorhead		1992 - Kristin Nelson, Minnesota Duluth
1991 - Scott Colbeck, Minnesota-Morris		1991 - Jayne Dusich, Bemidji State
1990 - Dwight Hager, Bemidji State		1990 - Mary Kortan, Northern State
1989 - Bruce Saugstad, Southwest State		1989 - Shauna Wendland, Southwest State
1988 - Tom Aney, Minnesota Duluth		1988 - Tara Haiskanen, Minnesota Duluth
1987 - Dale Harper, Bemidji State		1987 - Teresa Greenwood, MSU Moorhead             Patricia Pioske, Southwest State
1986 - Jeff Kretchman, Northern State		1986 - Lisa Muehlbauer, Minnesota Duluth
1985 - James Scott Bestul, Winona State