ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference today announced its list of 2007 Honor Student-Athlete and Scholarship award winners. Bemidji State University's Sheena Devine (Jr., Harris, Minn.) and Todd Zeidler (Sr., Plentywood, Mont.) were among its list of recipients. The pair was recognized as 2006-07 NSIC Women's and Men’s Honor Student-Athletes respectively.

The league also announced Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Jessica Trautwein as the 2007 Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award recipient and Southwest Minnesota State University’s Tyler Fischer as the 2007 Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award winner.

The Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award, in its 22nd year, is presented to the NSIC’s top female student-athlete, while the Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence, is in its 23rd year and recognizes the NSIC’s top male student-athlete

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 athletic director for the whole department. Kelly passed away in 1988.

The Britton Award was created in 1985 in honor of Dr. William Britton, a longtime faculty representative at Bemidji State University.

NSIC member institutions can nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the Britton and Kelly Awards. The nominees must carry a grade point average of 3.2 or better (on a 4.0 scale), exude evidence of academic excellence beyond the minimum grade point average (scholarship prizes and other academic recognition), participate in the life of the institution beyond athletes and participate in at least two-thirds of the varsity events of the individual’s primary sport.

The 19 student-athletes nominated for the NSIC’s two most prestigious awards are honored as NSIC Male and Female Honor Student-Athletes of the Year at their respective institutions. Fischer and Trautwein will be recognized Friday, July 27 at the 2007 NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet at the Best Western Kelly Inn and Convention Center in St. Cloud, Minn. Fischer and Trautwein will each receive a $1000 post-graduate scholarship.

2006-07 NSIC Women’s Honor Student-Athlete Award Winners
Todd Zeidler, BSU, Sr., Track & Field, Plentywood, Mont.
Kyle Warren, CSP, Sr., Cross-Country, Savage, Minn.
Josh Dinius, UM, Sr., Track & Field, Langdon, N.D.
Kyle Trout, MSUM, Sr., Wrestling, Wadena, Minn.
Josh LeBrun, NSU, Sr., Football, Dell Rapids, S.D.
Mitch Walser, UIU, Sr., Baseball, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Dustin Jones, WSC, Sr., Baseball, Dakota Dunes, S.D.
John Tackmann, WSU, Sr., Football, Altoona, Wis.


2006-07 NSIC Women’s Honor Student-Athlete Award Winners
Sheena Devine, BSU, Jr., Track & Field, Harris, Minn.
Jessica Lucia, CSP, Sr., Volleyball, Plymouth, Minn.
Kayla Campbell, UM, Sr., Track & Field, Bottineau, Minn.
Erin Flynn, UMC, Sr., Volleyball ,Bloomer, Wis.
Carolin Becker, NSU, Sr., Basketball, Beulah, N.D.
Erin Oakland, SMSU, Sr., Golf / Basketball, Fulda, Minn.
Jena Kilburg, UIU, Sr., Softball, Bellevue, Iowa
Tanna Walford, WSC, Sr., Track & Field, York, Neb.
Bria Magnuson, WSU, Sr., Track & Field, Cold Spring, Minn.

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