BURNSVILLE, Minn. – For the sixth straight year, the University of Sioux Falls has had 11 or more senior student-athletes earn recognition as recipients of the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award for the 2021-22 school year. USF had 11 student-athletes honored by the NSIC in today's (Jan. 27, 2022) announcement.
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Commissioner Erin Lind announced that a record number 239 student-athletes from the NSIC's 16 institutions will receive the award in its 13th year, which is 12 more than last year's record of 227.
USF's total of 11, which represented seven different sports, increased the school's total honorees to 120 since the award began 13 years ago. To earn the recognition, award recipients must senior student-athletes who maintain a grade point average of 3.75 or higher, in the process of exhausting their eligibility, and on track to graduate.
The 2021-22 USF honorees include:
Jared Binsfeld, Saskatoon, Sask., business, baseball;
Lexi Frank, Olivia, Minn., nursing, track and field;
Grant Lung, Peoria, Ariz., criminal justice, baseball;
Samantha Mullvain, Duluth, Minn., biology/pre-med, swimming;
Megan Quandt, Henderson, Nev., psychology, tennis;
Marlee Schneider, Custer, S.D., business/sports management, volleyball;
Jayden Slaba, Sioux Falls, S.D., biology/pre-med, track and field;
Ben Sokup, Altoona, Wisc., business, football;
Elizabeth Spaans, Brandon, S.D.; psychology, swimming;
Kylan Straight, Logan, Iowa, psychology, softball; and
Nathan Woodall, Sioux Falls, S.D., business/media studies, golf.
"We continue to increase the number of student-athletes that have earned the Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award, which is a testament to the dedication of the student-athletes, coaches and administrators in our league. I am filled with pride on how our student-athletes in the NSIC continue to excel in the classroom, in the community and on the playing field. These are characteristics in which Dr. Myles Brand emphasized. I am extremely proud of all these student-athletes for their devotion to their universities, the NSIC and to their personal academic and athletic goals. I have no doubt these student-athletes will continue to achieve success in life well beyond the classroom and the competition venues," said Lind.
Along with the NSIC Commissioner, USF Director of Athletics
Pam Gohl also recognized the exemplary efforts that USF student-athletes make in the classroom, competition and meeting USF's Culture of Service
"On behalf of USF Athletics, it is pleased and gratifying to see our student-athletes consistently achieve at an extraordinarily high level. They are focused on not only competition with all they have but do so in the classroom as well," said Gohl. "We are very proud of them," she said.
Dr. Myles N. Brand, visionary leader, educator and reformer, served as the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2003-2009. 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.
