SMSU Athletics

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award was established during the 2009-10 academic year.

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 wristwatch.

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.

SMSU's Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award winners
2010: Kevin Andrews, Men's Basketball Leah Ashburn, Volleyball Sara Graf, Volleyball Danielle Hildebrandt, Tennis	2011: Chris Aggen, Men's Basketball Dan Brannen, Football Ryan Burke, Football Cortney Heim, Softball Taylor Huseby, Men's Basketball Laura Kramer, Women's Basketball Jenna Perske, Soccer Michelle Seibring, Softball Lauren Smith, Softball Josh Wendland, Baseball	2012: Cara Carson, Volleyball Adam Thygesen, Baseball Kelly Fitzgerald, Soccer Taylor Voss, Women's Basketball
2013: Brooke Burmeister, Volleyball Amy Dreessen, Softball	2014: Venesa Corona, Soccer Josh Hanson, Baseball Ethan Hildebrandt, Wrestling Bree Holleman, Women's Basketball Micah Larson, Wrestling Rachel Patnoe, Golf Rebekah Rolling, Women's Basketball Nick Smith, Men's Basketball Britt Wickett, Football	2015: Ryan Engels, Baseball Katie Grebinoski, Women's Track & Field Jason Minett, Baseball Alex Pantze, Soccer Christian Skillings, Wrestling
2016: Whitney Burmeister, Volleyball Emilee Gutzmer, Volleyball Casey Hertz, Football Becky Koepp, Golf Claire Sames, Volleyball Zach Specht, Football Donovan Woods, Football	2017: Brenna Giddings, Soccer Matt Konrad, Men's Track & Field Austin LaFollette, Men's Track & Field-Cross Country Sarah Parker, Volleyball Jessica Thelemann, Volleyball Dan Wagner, Golf	2018: Emily Huddleston, Soccer Lauren Kerr, Golf Angela Prokosch, Women's Track & Field
2019: Jon Dicke, Football Jayden Fleck, Baseball Macy Violett, Soccer Sara DeSmet, Softball Athena Golling, Softball	2020: Boyer Bouman, Football Erin Corrigan, Volleyball Emma Grote, Softball Kali Tomlinson, Softball  Jenna Walczak, Volleyball Kelli Wentz, Soccer	2021: Allie Cook, Soccer Nick Dufault, Men's Basketball Emily Gillingham, Women's Cross Country/Track Payton Hjerleid, Volleyball Trey Johnson, Football Nathan Kuhn, Baseball Avery Lester, Women's Cross Country/Track Caedyn Reinhardt, Volleyball Gabriela Reis, Swimming Keaton Rommel, Football Trey Sachs, Football Meghan Sullivan, Women's Cross Country/Track Sara Teske, Women's Basketball Jeremiah Van De Steeg, Baseball Angela Young, Volleyball
2022: Meleah Reinhart, Women's Basketball Anneke Weg, Golf Grant Kramer, Men's Basketball	2023: Alisa Bengen, Volleyball Shelby Bloemendaal, Softball Sally Gallagher, Golf Madison Gehloff, Women's Basketball Morgan Hughes, Women's Track & Field Courtenay Leonard, Tennis  Juliana Villa, Swimming & Diving Addi Schroeder, Swimming & Diving Carl Swedzinski, Men's Track & Field Sam Wall, Women's Basketball	2024: Paige Ahrendt, Softball Kylie Birath, Soccer Sarah Conlon, Women's Basketball Jacqueline Gossen, Golf Isaac Nett, Baseball Jillian Noel, Softball Hannah Parsley, Women's Basketball Nadia Sanford, Women's Track & Field Hunter Smith, Men's Track & Field Ciarra Valdez, Soccer
2025: Karli Arkell, Volleyball Sierra Clifford, Track & Field Catherine Ihrke, Cross Country/Track & Field Dare Kroeten, Soccer Saari Kuehl, Volleyball Macie Langstraat, Cross Country/Track & Field Haley Mason, Soccer Morgyn Otte, Softball Kaaryn Smidel, Cross Country/Track & Field Bri Stoltzman, Women's Basketball Shealyn Tom, Track & Field Emma VanHeel, Volleyball