For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 30, 2019
NSIC Media Relations
PDF Release

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Pete Roberts of Augustana University and Dawn Schenk of St. Cloud State University will be honored with the NSIC’s Noel Olson Volunteer of the Year Award during the 20th annual NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet on Tuesday, July 9 at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Lakeville, Minnesota.

The Noel Olson Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes the singular commitment of former NSIC coach and Athletic Administrator Noel Olson and his advancement of NSIC visibility, credibility, and excellence throughout the nation during his tenure in the league.  The award is intended to honor individuals who, as volunteers, have made significant contributions to the NSIC as a whole.

Olson was the men’s basketball coach at St. Cloud State University and was name NIC Coach of the Year during the 1969-70 and 1975-76 seasons after leading the Huskies to NIC Championships. In 1976 he became the athletic director at SCSU. Olson passed away in May of 2019 at the age of 87.

On a periodic basis, one or more individuals receive the award in appreciation of efforts made to support the NSIC activities and/or athletic programs within any NSIC member institution(s) or the NSIC conference office. The award recipients are nominated by each of the NSIC’s 16 institutions and selected by the NSIC Hall of Fame Committee.

To attend the NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet go to www.NorthernSun.org/SummerKickoff and fill out the online form.  The price to attend the banquet (including meal) is $30.00 - please register by July 1 as space is limited.

2018-19 Noel Olson Award Recipients
Pete Roberts - Augustana University
The heart and soul of sports statistics in South Dakota and throughout the region, Pete Roberts embodies what it means to be the Noel Olson Volunteer of the Year. Roberts has worked both as a part-time employee for the Augustana athletic department and as a volunteer, where he has made outstanding and countless contributions to the NSIC.

Roberts served the Augustana athletic department as statistics and technology coordinator from 2006 through 2018, but his time spent on campus goes far beyond office hours. Over the last 12 years, Roberts has statted more than 70 Augustana football games and more than 300 men’s and women’s basketball games. Since moving the basketball tournament to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, Roberts has also statted multiple NSIC / Sanford Health Basketball Tournaments games. He also managed statistics at eight NSIC Softball Tournaments. 

On a volunteer basis, Roberts created NSICScores.com, running a server out of his own basement using his personal Midco connection. The website maintains an NSIC live scoreboard as a well as a Central Region live statistics/sports matrix page. The matrix page provides stats, staff, and Stretch Internet links for every sport from every program in the region. In 2019, he upgraded his technology, splitting the NSIC scores basketball page into a men’s and women’s page for more efficient usage.

Roberts continues to be a resource for every school in the conference, fielding and fixing multiple statistics questions and issues. He has created countless statistics documents to help teach communication staff and also created YouTube videos to teach other NSIC schools about statting.

Roberts is a 2002 graduate of Iowa State University and received his master’s degree from University of Oklahoma in 2006. Pete and his wife, Carrie, have a daughter, Sienna and twin sons, Isaiah and Samuel. They currently reside in Tea, South Dakota.

Dawn Schenk - St. Cloud State University
Dawn Schenk has been involved closely with the athletic department at St. Cloud State University for more than three decades and has been a passionate supporter of SCSU Athletics over this time.

Better known as “Mama Dawn” to the teams that she works closely with, Dawn has helped raise funds, friends and support for the Huskies.  In particular, her association with the men’s basketball and baseball teams has allowed those programs to raise thousands of dollars over the years through her volunteer efforts with golf outings and other fund-raising activities.

In addition to her work with driving fund-raising events, Schenk is one of SCSU’s most loyal fans.  Her attendance at games (home and away) is an inspiration to the student-athletes, coaches and staff at SCSU and has created lifelong friendships with those student-athletes, coaches and staff. 

This dedication to SCSU and its athletic teams continues despite her recent battles with cancer, as Dawn continues to attend SCSU athletic events and help out with fund-raising events (when her health allows).  She also continues to bake her famous lemon bread for the teams to enjoy.

A long-time resident of St. Cloud, Dawn and her husband John started attending SCSU events in the 1970s and really took a strong interest in the Huskies during the mid 1980s when Butch Raymond’s teams were making their historic runs in Halenbeck Hall. 

A basketball trip to Hawaii in 1989 that Dawn and John went on really solidified their connection with the Huskies, which has carried on to the present.  Dawn and John have travelled extensively with the Huskies for away games and have been loyal season ticket holders for SCSU home games. 

Dawn has served in various capacities with the SCSU booster clubs over the years and was part of the committee that helped establish the Huskies’ annual senior recognition ceremony.

Over the years, Dawn has work closely with SCSU men’s basketball and has been a primary force behind the success of that team’s annual golf fundraiser.  She also helps organize the team’s annual alumni gathering along with serving as the editor for the basketball team’s newsletter and being a primary communications conduit for the team’s alumni.

Along with her work with the men’s basketball team, Dawn has been a major organizing force behind the Huskies baseball team’s annual golf fundraiser.  In past years, Dawn also was part of the team that helped run the women’s basketball team’s golf fundraiser.

Dawn is truly a fan of all SCSU athletics and she is a familiar face at Halenbeck Hall, Husky Stadium, Selke Field and Joe Faber Field.  She connects with the teams and has developed longtime friendships with the athletes here at SCSU with many of those connections made during some “serious” cribbage games on road trips and school breaks.

Past Noel Olson Award Winners
2008-09    Roger Haug - U-Mary, Rocco Ierino - UMD and Dr. Harry Jasinski - NSU
2009-10    Dale Haagenson - UMD
2010-11    Paul and Barb Halstenson - Augustana and Ken Mukomela - SMSU
2011-12    Neal Kalberer - U-Mary
2012-13    Kevin and Karla Anundson  - SMSU
2013-14    David & Carol Drown - SMSU and Brice Wilkinson - WSU
2014-15    Dr. Keith Marek - BSU
2015-16   Marv Bachmeier - UMC
2016-17  Lee Storbeck & Sue Wahl Storbeck - SCSU