Six Wayne State student-athletes were honored by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with being listed among the record 139 athletes who were named to the eighth annual NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award.
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.
Wayne State athletes honored include:
Andrea DeSimone, Plattsmouth (track and field/cross country)
Nicholas Fly, Omaha (track and field/cross country)
Alyssa Frauendorfer, Humphrey (volleyball)
Corbin Lehn, Shelton (track and field/cross country)
Joey Lenihan, Wayne (baseball)
Michaela Mestl, Kearney (volleyball)
"I am truly excited to see the student-athletes in the NSIC continue to raise the bar each year as we continue to reach new record number of recipients of the Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award,” NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind said in a press release. “This is one of the highest honors a student-athlete in the NSIC can achieve and our student-athletes have shown a commitment and dedication to both academics and athletics. These are characteristics in which Dr. Myles Brand emphasized. I am extremely proud of all these student-athletes for their devotion to their universities, the NSIC and to their personal academic and athletic goals. I have no doubt these student-athletes will continue to achieve success in life well beyond the classroom and the competition venues.”
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.
