For Immediate Release
Monday, September 25, 2023
NSIC Media Relations
INDIANAPOLIS - Former Southwest Minnesota State University Director of Athletics Butch Raymond has been nominated for the NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Gold Award.
Division II schools and conferences have submitted a total of 231 nominations for the 50th Anniversary Gold Award, with nine coming from the NSIC. This award, which is part of the division's yearlong 50th anniversary celebration that launched Aug. 7 and will extend through the 2024 Division II Baseball Championship in June, will recognize two individuals (one individual who identifies as male and one who identifies as female) who have made a positive impact in Division II.
The nominees include current and former student-athletes, coaches, faculty members and administrators from active member schools and conferences who have helped shape Division II over time.
"The nominees reflect the considerable impact so many individuals have had on intercollegiate athletics over the years but also the pride the Division II membership demonstrates consistently in providing the experiences that enable young people to make a positive difference in the world," said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II.
Conference offices will review the nominated individuals and select two conference winners (one individual who identifies as male and one who identifies as female) by Nov. 6. The NCAA Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee will review the finalists and select the two overall winners, who will be recognized at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix.
"The quality of nominees will certainly make it challenging for the Division II Identity Subcommittee to recommend just two Gold Award recipients," Steeb Gronau said. "It truly is eye-opening to read through the candidates' accomplishments and realize how their contributions have made us better as a division."
As part of the anniversary celebration, Division II also will provide a commemorative scholarship opportunity for student-athletes from active member schools who exhibit the core values of Division II and have not yet exhausted their athletics eligibility. Two recipients from each conference and two representing the independent institutions will be announced in May during the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in Orlando, Florida. Nomination procedures for the scholarship will be announced to the Division II membership in January.
To learn more about Division II's 50th anniversary celebration, visit
ncaa.org/dii50.
NSIC Gold Award Nominees
Butch Raymond - Southwest Minnesota State University/NSIC - Administrator/Basketball Coach
Butch Raymond has been associated with the NCAA for more than 40 years. He was a head men's basketball coach in Division II for 24 seasons, an athletic director for seven and commissioner for 10 years. During his seven seasons as Director of Athletics at SMSU, the Mustang athletics department enjoyed prosperity on and off the playing field. Mustang athletic teams won 11 NSIC Championships, with ten of the championships coming in his last four years. The 2001 SMSU men's basketball team captured the North Central Region title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Raymond was a major factor in helping SMSU make the transition from NAIA to the NCAA in 1996. Once hired at SMSU in 1997, he developed several fundraising programs to help SMSU compete at the NCAA level. When Raymond began his duties in 2004 as the Commissioner of the NSIC, the conference consisted of eight institutions. Over 10 years the league doubled in size to 16 institutions. In that time, under the leadership of Raymond, the NSIC has won 13 team national championships and crowned 36 individual national champions. Raymond also served on various national committees over the years, including the chair of the Conference Commissioners Association; Vice Chair of NCAA DII Management Council, National Chair for NCAA DII Basketball Committee and Regional Chair for football.
Maggie McNamara - Concordia University, St. Paul - Volleyball Student-Athlete
Maggie McNamara had a historic career for Concordia University, St. Paul volleyball from 2006 to 2009. She is one of the most decorated players in college volleyball history, at any level, as she still holds the NCAA record for career assists across all three divisions. She amassed a career total of 7,351 assists as she averaged an NCAA Division II record 14.11 assists per set over her four years. She also holds the single-season NCAA Division II record in assists per set with 15.09 as a freshman. She also holds the top two single-season performances in assists per set in the 25-point scoring format (2008 & 2009) and first and fourth spots in the 30-point scoring format (2006 & 2007). McNamara led the Golden Bears to three NCAA Division II National Championships. She is a two-time AVCA and Ron Lenz National Player of the Year, a four-time AVCA and Daktronics All-American, an AVCA National Freshman of the Year and the 2009 Sports Imports Division II Female Athlete of the Year in all sports. She also earned recognition for her efforts in the classroom as she was a 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team pick, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District pick and a three-time NSIC All-Academic team member. During her career, the Golden Bears held a 146-8 record and a 75-1 mark in NSIC play as the team won their first three of seven consecutive national titles. The team added four NSIC championships and reached the NCAA Central Region championship in all four of her seasons on campus. The 2009 Golden Bears went a perfect 37-0 and extended their winning streak to 74 matches as they won back-to-back-to-back national crowns. McNamara made it four straight years as the nation's leader in assists per set at 13.26 en route to claiming her second National Player of the Year selection. In 2017, McNamara was named one of the NSIC top-25 female student-athletes from the past 25 years. McNamara received her bachelor's degree in mathematics in 2010 before taking a position as a Buyer and Inventory Manager at Steinel America, Inc., where she worked for six years. After spending two years at Amazon, she moved into her current position at CHS working as a Buyer in the Processing and Food Ingredients Division. McNamara remains active in the volleyball community. She spent time at Northern Lights and Blazer Volleyball clubs in the Junior Olympic circuit while also coaching at Visitation High School and the University of St. Thomas. During her first year at St. Thomas, the Tommies claimed the NCAA Division III National Championship.
Brady Starkey - Concordia University, St. Paul - Volleyball Coach
Perhaps no name is more synonymous with Division II Championships than Concordia St. Paul head volleyball coach, Brady Starkey. Under Starkey, the Golden Bears have captured nine Division II Championships, including seven in a row, making them the only NCAA volleyball program to accomplish the feat at any of the three divisions. Their first national championship in 2007 was the first women's team NCAA Division II championship in the history of the Northern Sun and just the second overall team national championship for the conference. In his 19 seasons, Starkey's teams have captured 14 Northern Sun championships, reached the NCAA Tournament every year and advanced to the region championship 18 times. They've captured 12 region championships. The team has produced at least 30 wins in 14 out of 19 campaigns, including a perfect 37-0 season in 2009 that culminated with their third straight national title. They carry a 77-10 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament for an .885 winning percentage. They've never lost a first round regional match and are undefeated in 11 trips to the national semifinals (Final Four). They've only lost once in 12 national quarterfinal matches and are 9-2 in 11 national title matches. He's coached some of the top players in Division II volleyball history, including two-time AVCA Player of the Year Maggie McNamara - the all-time assists record holder for Division II volleyball. McNamara, named the Honda Division II Female Athlete of the Year her senior year, was the first of five AVCA National Freshmen of the Year under Starkey. The team also featured a top-9 finalist twice, Mary Slinger and Ellie Duffy for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. Riley Hanson added to the list, joining Duffy in earning an NCAA Today's Top 10 Award along with being named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. The program has also featured 16 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Starkey's list of accomplishments has earned him national recognition as he was named to the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2020. Starkey was named to the Donald S. Shondell All-Time Great Coach - Contemporary Division.
Karen Stromme - University of Minnesota Duluth - Administrator/Basketball Coach
Stromme is one of the most experienced, distinguished, and honored athletic administrators in college athletics and has left a lasting impact on the lives of everyone that she crossed paths with. Stromme served as the UMD women's basketball head coach for 21 years along with leading the women's golf program at UMD for three years in the late 1980s. Since 2004, she has held administrative titles and been designated as the Senior Woman Administrator for the Bulldogs. Stromme also served as the Bulldogs interim athletic director January 2013 to May 2013 and is the advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at UMD, which was awarded the inaugural Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference SAAC Cup in 2017-18 (then again in 2021-22), and recently was instrumental in the Bulldogs being recognized with the 2022 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence. In 2019, Stromme was the recipient of the NCAA Division II 9 Women Leaders in College Sports Administrator of the Year award, which is presented to Women Leaders in College Sports members for significant contributions made as an administrator of intercollegiate athletics. The winningest coach in Bulldog basketball history, Stromme spent 21 seasons directing the UMD's women program before stepping down in May 2005 to take on a full-time administrative position in the athletics department. Stromme compiled a 440-184 overall record (for a .705 winning percentage) and posted 21 consecutive winning seasons while also guiding the Bulldogs to 12 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference titles, four of a possible five NSIC Tournament championships, eight NCAA II North Central Regional playoff berths and seven appearances in the NAIA National Tournament.
Lori Meyer - Minnesota State University, Mankato - Adminstrator/Softball Coach
Entering 40th season as head softball coach at Minnesota State. Is the winningest active Division II coach with 1,366 career wins. Owns a career record of 1,366-733-3 (.650). A total of 122 of her student-athletes have earned all-conference honors and 31 have received All-American honors. Seven Mavericks have received CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, including Kendra Huettl who was named the CoSIDA Academic All-American on the Year in 2012. Her teams have made 17 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including three trips to the NCAA Championships in 1987, 2011 and 2017. Won the NCAA DII Championship in 2017, behind a 64-7 record. Her teams have won eight conference championships, with three in the North Central Conference in 1987, 1989 and 2007, and five in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Has served as the Senior Women's Administrator for several years. Was named the NSIC Coach of the Year four times in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Karla Nelson - Minnesota State University Moorhead - Administrator/Basketball Coach
Karla Nelson has continued to blaze trails as she nears her third decade as a member of MSU Moorhead's athletic department. Nelson has served as MSUM's head women's basketball coach for 24 seasons (entering 2023-24) and has been a member of the department dating back to her time as an assistant coach and head softball coach for the Dragons. To date, Nelson has accrued 399 career wins and has won the NSIC Coach of the Year award four times. She had a stretch of 21 consecutive winning seasons during her tenure and has led MSUM to three consecutive NSIC championships from 2017 to 2019. Nelson also served as the department's SWA for a number of years while also offering her services as the MSUM SAAC liaison, helping thousands of student-athletes achieve their goals both on and off the court. As coach, Nelson helped guide hundreds of young women to athletic and academic success. She has coached 50 All-NSIC performers as well as eight All-Americans. In the classroom, Nelson's teams have been named to the WBCA NCAA Division II Academic Top-25 on 15 separate occasions. Nelson has had 135 of her student-athletes named to the NSIC All-Academic Team, six Academic All-District selections and two Academic All-Americans. As a player, Nelson played four seasons for then-Division II member school North Dakota. She was a three-year captain for the then-Fighting Sioux and was deemed UND's 'Best Defensive Player' twice in her time in Grand Forks. In 2019, Nelson was given UND's Clifford Award, which recognizes a UND alumni who has served as athletic coaches that have been notably successful in their sport.
Larry Scott - Minnesota State University Moorhead - Administrator
A member of the Dragon Athletic, NSIC and CoSIDA (now CSC) Hall of Fames, Larry Scott is potentially the most legendary administrative figure in MSU Moorhead history. Serving as the school's Sports Information Director from 1969 until his 'retirement' in 2009. Even after his retirement, he dedicated his life to Dragon Athletics, calling MSUM football games and building a streak of over 500 consecutive games attended throughout his tenure. He was inducted into the Dragon Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. Scott lived and worked through perhaps the greatest eras of Dragon athletics, seeing and writing about numerous conference championships, national championships and All-American student-athletes. He was instrumental in the growth and success of MSUM's football program under legendary head coach Ross Fortier as well as the track & field program led by MSUM luminary Ron Masanz. On top of serving as MSUM's sports information director, Scott was also the sports information director for the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC now NSIC) for 25 years while simultaneously holding his role at MSUM. Scott was inducted into the NSIC Hall of Fame in 2015. Inducted into the CoSIDA (now CSC) Hall of Fame in 1991, Scott was widely regarded by his peers as one of the best in the business. Scott accumulated over 100 national awards for his various athletic publications throughout the years, including 25 "Best In The Nation" certificates. Scott also influenced the next generation of sports information administrators as he would serve as an adjunct professor in the MSUM mass communications department where he most notably taught the course 'Sports And The Media'. In 1988, Scott earned MSUM's 'Distinguished Service Award' for his work for Dragon athletics. Many of the processes and work Scott put in throughout his 40 years are still being used today. His adept record and statistic keeping has allowed the department to keep records dating back decades. On top of his work at MSUM, Scott was also a member of the Roger Maris Celebrity Benefit Golf Tournament Committee. He also served on the media relations committee for NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Fours in 1992 and 2001.
Nate Breske - Northern State University - Football Student-Athlete
Nate Breske played quarterback for the Northern State University football team from 1998-00 as the Wolves made the leap into NCAA Division II. Breske sits in the top-5 all-time at NSU for passing attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes. He landed on the NSIC All-Conference teams in the fall of 2000 and was a member of the 1999 Northern Sun Conference Championship team. Breske earned multiple bachelor's degrees from Northern State University in biology, psychology, and athletic training, and went on to receive his Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Breske's career has spanned over 15 years as a sports medicine professional in the NFL, most recently as the head athletic trainer of the Buffalo Bills. Breske has also worked with the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and the Chicago Bears. In July of 2023, Breske and his staff were honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPYs presented by ESPN. Breske played a vital role in the life saving care of Bills safety Damar Hamlin who experienced cardiac arrest after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. With his national platform, Breske has encouraged training and funding for CPR and AED throughout all levels of sport. The full ESPY presentation can be seen at the YouTube link
here: His leadership of the entire staff was instrumental throughout the process and Breske specifically notes the service element involved within the athletic training profession; a profession that serves NCAA student-athletes of all divisions on a daily basis.
Hannah Kastigar is a 3-time NCAA Division II National Champion for Northern State, the first national champion in program history. She won the 2017 and 2019 championships in the 400m IM and the 2019 championship in the 200 fly. Kastigar brought national attention to a program that had not previously qualified a competitor for the National Championships. She was an 8-time All-American for the Wolves and is a school record holder in 13 individual events and two relays. She won seven NSIC Championships from 2017-29 and was the NSIC Swimmer of the Year in 2017 and 2019. During her collegiate career and following graduation, Kastigar competed at the USA Swimming Olympic Trials. At the 2021 trials, Kastigar took 11th in the 400 IM with a time of 4:51.28 and fourth in the 200 breast with a time of 2:40.43. In addition, she was a point scorer at the NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2019, taking eighth in the 1500m, and top-20 finisher at the NSIC Cross Country Championships in 2018.
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men's league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women's league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 110 individual national champions. For additional information, visit
NorthernSun.org.
About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA's three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.
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