BURNSVILLE, Minn. – A total of 14 Southwest Minnesota State University student-athletes were honored on Friday with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award, NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind announced. A total of 324 student-athletes from the NSIC's 16 institutions received the award now in its 16th year.
 
The award is given to student-athletes with a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher and are on track to graduate this spring. Each student-athlete will be recognized by the NSIC with a certificate of achievement and a wristwatch.
 
This year's honorees include men's track & field athlete Deekon Anvid (Culver, Minn.), baseball player Evan Behn (Boone, Iowa), soccer player Isabel Blanco (Surprise, Ariz.), women's basketball player Kennadi Buchholz (DeSmet, S.D.), women's basketball player Zoie Centers (Hugo, Minn.), baseball player Tyler Froland (Sacred Heart, Minn.), baseball player Charlie Jacobson (Marshall, Minn.), women's track & field/cross country athlete Kyra Kusnierek (Eagan, Minn.), women's swimmer Carla Nevi (Rome, Italy), volleyball player Emily Rohrer (Slayton, Minn.), baseball player Luke Ruter (New London, Minn.), men's basketball player Luke Stevens (Planview, Minn.), volleyball player McKenzie Tolk (Minneota, Minn.), and soccer player/track athlete Brooke Wetterstrom (Olathe, Kan.),
 
"It is incredibly rewarding to see NSIC student-athletes continue to thrive academically, serve their communities, and compete at a high level," Lind said. "Those qualities reflect the principles championed by Dr. Myles Brand, and they remain at the heart of what we value in this conference. I am proud of the commitment these student-athletes show to their institutions, the NSIC, and their own academic and athletic pursuits, and I am confident their success will extend far beyond their time in competition."
 
Dr. Myles N. Brand, visionary leader, educator and reformer, served as the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2003-09. 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.