May 24, 2023

BURNSVILLE, MINN. – The NSIC announced David Ecker and Elizabeth Spaans as the 2023 NSIC Male and Female Honor Student-Athletes of the Year recipients for the University of Sioux Falls.

Ecker and Spaans were nominated for the NSIC Britton and Kelly awards that recognize academic excellence. The Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence, in its 39th year, recognizes the NSIC's top male student-athlete and the Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award, in its 38th year, is presented to the NSIC's top female student-athlete.

The Britton Award was created in 1985 in honor of Dr. William Britton, a longtime faculty representative at Bemidji State University who served on the Athletic Board of Control of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference for 25 years. Britton retired from BSU in 1982 and passed away in March of 2019.

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 32 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.

David Ecker is a senior track and field and cross country athlete from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Ecker is an eight-time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence award recipient as well as a five-time D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award honoree. He's been named to the NSIC Elite 18 team and also earned the 2023 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic Award. Throughout his career, Ecker has earned numerous awards for both his efforts in the classroom and on the track.

Elizabeth Spaans is a fifth year senior swimmer from Brandon, South Dakota. Spaans is a two-time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence member as well as a two-time NSIC All-Academic honoree. She is a two-time D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award honoree as well as a CSC Academic All-American. Spaans was recognized as the 2023 NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year for swimming has earned countless awards for both her efforts in the classroom as well as in the pool.

On behalf of the University of Sioux Falls, we would like to congratulate both David and Elizabeth for their outstanding performances in and out of the classrooms.