For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

Burnsville, Minn. — The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) announced the University of Sioux Falls’ Matt Horan as the 2016 Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award winner and Southwest Minnesota State University’s Claire Sames as the 2016 Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.  The Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence, in its 32nd year, recognizes the NSIC’s top male student-athlete and the Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award, in its 31st year, is presented to the NSIC’s top female student-athlete.

The Britton Award was created in 1985 in honor of Dr. William Britton, a longtime faculty representative at Bemidji State University. 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 athletics director for the whole department. Kelly passed away in 1988.

The member institutions of the NSIC nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the Britton and Kelly Awards. The nominees must meet the following criteria: a grade point average of 3.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale); evidence of academic excellence beyond the minimum grade point average (scholarship prizes and other academic recognition), evidence of participation in the life of the institution, and evidence of participation in at least two-thirds of the varsity events of the individual’s primary sport. The award is voted on by the NSIC Faculty Athletic Representatives.
The 32 student-athletes nominated for the NSIC’s two most prestigious awards will also be honored as NSIC Male and Female Honor Student-Athletes of the Year at their respective institutions. Horan and Sames will be recognized Tuesday, July 12 at the 2016 NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet at the Best Western Premier in Burnsville, Minn. and will each receive a $2,500 post-graduate scholarship.

2016 Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence
Matthew Horan - University of Sioux Falls - Cross Country / Track & Field
Matthew Horan, a native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a senior double majoring in professional accounting and business administration at the University of Sioux Falls. The Roosevelt High School graduate holds a 4.00 GPA while excelling in cross country and track & field for the Cougars. Horan joins William Brockmeuller (2014) as the only student-athletes from USF to earn the Britton Award.

Horan was on the Dean’s list every semester at USF as well as the NSIC All-Academic Team. He was a recipient of the prestigious Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award and honored by the USTFCCCA for academic sucess.  

On campus, Horan was a member of the Investment Club, a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Honor’s Program.  He also was an accountant tutor this past year.  In January of 2015, Horan had an internship at American Institute for Economic Research (AEIR) in Great Barrington, Massachusetts as part of a research class.

Horan will leave USF as one of its most decorated cross country/track & field athletes. A four-time All-NSIC honoree in cross country, Horan helped the Cougars to a program-best eighth-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors with a top-20 time. He is a two-time All-Region award recipient finishing as high as fourth at the NCAA Central Region Championships while helping the USF cross country team to two NCAA Championship appearances, and three straight runner-up finishes at the NSIC Championships. On the track, Horan earned six All-NSIC honors, including a 10,000-meter run title in 2014. He placed second in the indoor 5k, helping the Cougars to a runner-up team finish at the 2015 NSIC Indoor Championships. He owns the No. 2 spot in USF’s all-time records list in the outdoor 5k and 10k and has five total times that rank in the top five in USF history.

Horan has also volunteered at Kids Against Hunger, packing meals for kids in need and at the Ronald McDonald House, helping to clean the facility.  

2016 Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence
Claire Sames - Southwest Minnesota State University - Volleyball
Claire Sames, a native of Shakopee, Minn., is a senior majoring in Biology and Chemistry at Southwest Minnesota State University. The Shakopee High School graduate holds a 4.00 grade point average while playing volleyball for the Mustangs. She joins Whitney Burmeister (2015), Rachel Patnoe (2014), Christy Kubat (2002), Janelle Gibbs (1999), Paige Karno (1996), Katy Pivec (1995) and Shauna Wendland (1989) in the elite group of Mustangs to earn the Kelly Award.  
Sames was on the Dean’s list every semester at SMSU and a three-time NSIC All-Academic Team member.  She was part of the Mustang volleyball program that boasted the highest team GPA at the 2014 National Championships where she earned the NCAA Elite 89 Award.  Sames is also the recipient of multiple scholarships including the NSIC Butch Raymond Scholarship. She was also an NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award honoree.  

Sames is involved in many clubs and organizations at SMSU.  She has served on the SMSU Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has been a part of the Environmental Awareness Club the past four years.  She is also a member of the Biology Club and the Student Health Advisory Council.

On the volleyball court, Sames was a member of four NCAA tournament teams, including the 2014 squad that finished as the NCAA national runner-up. She finished the 2015 season recording 182 kills with 29 blocks, helping lead the Mustangs to a 26-6 record, including 17-3 in NSIC play. Sames played in 94 matches during her career, recording 648 kills, a hitting percentage of .229 and 162 blocks.

Sames has volunteers at the SMSU Rakathon, with Mustang Mail, Highway Cleanup projects, at Avera Medical Center and at the NSIC SAAC Summit.  She has also volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club during the NCAA Championships in 2014 and was named Volunteer of the Month at Avera Medical Center that same fall.
 

2015-16 NSIC Men’s Honor Student-Athlete Award Winners
Brandon Charbonneau	Augustana University	Junior	Wresting	Emporia, Kan.	Emporia HS
Anthony Peterson	Bemidji State University	Senior	Football	Frederic, Wis.	Frederic HS
Zach Rengel	Concordia University, St Paul	Senior	Baseball	Fergus Falls, Minn.	Fergus Falls
Adam Woroniecki	University of Mary	Senior	Football	Hebron, N.D.	Hebron HS
Drew Selvestra	University of Minnesota Crookston	Senior	Football	Eagan, Minn.	Eagan HS
Gage Sachs	University of Minnesota Duluth	Senior	Track & Field	Avon, Minn.	Albany HSl
Connor Thomas	Minnesota State University, Mankato	Senior	Football	Chicago, Ill.	Norte Dame College Prep
Garret Hoffner	Minnesota State University Moorhead	Senior	Wrestling	Mahnomen, Minn.	Mahnomen HS
Micah Holmen	Minot State University	Senior	Baseball	Minot, N.D.	Minot HS
Joseph Gomez	Northern State University	Junior	Wrestling	Graham, Wash.	Graham-Kapowsin HS
Matthew Horan	University of Sioux Falls	Senior	Cross Country	Sioux Falls, S.D.	Roosevelt HS
Davontay Stevens	Southwest Minnesota State University	Senior	Football	Jacksonville, Fla.	Samuel W. Wolfson HS
Jameson Parsons	St. Cloud State University	Junior	Football	Eagan, Minn.	Eagan HS
Matt Paulus	Upper Iowa University	Senior	Wrestling	New Hampton, Iowa	New Hampton HS
Jonathon Davis	Wayne State College	Senior	Football	Webster City, Iowa	Webster City HS
Tyler Nehring	Winona State University	Senior	Baseball	DePere, Wis.	DePere HS
2015-16 NSIC Women’s Honor Student-Athlete Award Winners
Charissa Etrheim	Augustana University	Senior	Track & Field	Brandon, S.D.	Brandon Valley HS
Shaylin Prout	Bemidji State University	Senior	Tennis	Shuniah, Ont.	Westgate HS
Savannah Stone	Concordia University, St Paul	Junior	Women’s Golf	Crosslake, Minn.	Pequot Lakes HS
Faith Kjelstrup	University of Mary	Senior	Track & Field	Glendive, Mont.	Dawson County HS
Kathryn Sheetz	University of Minnesota Crookston	Senior	Women’s Golf	Grand Rapids, Minn.	Grand Rapids HS
Kaitlin Wohnoutka	University of Minnesota Duluth	Senior	Tennis	Luverne, Minn.	Luverne HS
Korey Kronforst	Minnesota State University, Mankato	Senior	Soccer	Cary, Ill.	Cary Grove HS
Ashley Wood	Minnesota State University Moorhead	Senior	Tennis	Moorhead, Minn.	Moorhead HS
Breanne Hatfield	Minot State University	Senior	Soccer	Manteca, Calif.	Manteca HS
Victoria Biach	Northern State University	Senior	Volleyball	Bradenton, Fla.	Saint Stephens
Taylor Varsho	University of Sioux Falls	Senior	Women’s Basketball	Chili, Wis.	Marshfield HS
Claire Sames	Southwest Minnesota State University	Senior	Volleyball	Shakopee, Minn.	Shakopee HS
Brianne Stamer	St. Cloud State University	Senior	Volleyball	Hutchinson, Minn.	Hutchinson HS
Ravae Canas	Upper Iowa University	Junior	Women’s Golf	Kent, Wash.	Kentwood HS
Leisa McClintock	Wayne State College	Senior	Volleyball	Sioux City, Iowa	Bishop Heelan Catholic HS
Abbigail Ristow	Winona State University	Senior	Track & Field	Ellsworth, Wis.	Ellsworth HS

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