Eight Augustana student-athletes have earned the first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award, the conference office announced today.
Receiving the award are Ellen Andrews, Alison Broadwell, Bobbi Jo Buyck, Jon Emerson, Kayla Henke, Melissa Jackson, Josh Niedenfuer, and Jillian Tholen.
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 wrist watch.
Andrews, a native of Bancroft, Neb., was a four-year starter for the Augustana volleyball team where she amassed over 1,000 career kills. She was a 2009 team captain and earned 2009 Academic All-NSIC and 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 honors. As a junior, Andrews was named 2008 Academic All-NSIC, 2008 ESPN the Magazine Academic-All District, and 2008 Daktronics All-Central Region Second Team. As a sophomore in 2007, she also earned All-North Central Conference and Academic All-North Central Conference honors. She graduated in December with majors in excercise science and fitness management.
Broadwell has earned two letters on the Augustana tennis team and will be playing again this spring. She was named 2009 Academic All-NSIC and played at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles last season. Broadwell is majoring in elementary education.
Buyck is a three-year letterwinner for the indoor and outdoor Augustana track and field teams. She was named 2009 Academic All-NSIC and holds school records in the indoor and outdoor pole vault, as well as the 60 meter dash. Buyck is a nursing major.
Emerson is a four-year letterwinner on the Augustana golf team. He was named 2009 Academin-All NSIC and will graduate with a major in business administration.
Henke is a four-year starting outfielder for the Augustana softball team. Henke also played one season on the Viking women's basketball team. An exercise science and psychology major, Henke was second on the 2009 softball team in runs scored and stolen bases.
Jackson, a native of Delta Junction, Alaska, is a member of the Viking cross country team and the track and field team. She helped the Vikings capture three-straight conference titles as well as the 2010 NSIC indoor track and field championship.
Niedenfuer was a two-year started on the Augustana football team and a 2009 defensive team captain. He was named 2008 and 2009 Academic All-NSIC. Niedenfuer majored in physical education.
Tholen is a four-year letterwinner on the Viking women's cross country team and a three-year letterwinner on the track and field squad. A biology and Spanish major, Tholen won the 2006 North Central Conference individual title and then helped the Vikings win the 2007 NCC team title as wellas the 2008 and 2009 NSIC team titles.
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.
