BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Minot State's Jacob Jensen earned the NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for men's cross country as he held the highest grade point average with the most credits earned among the 12 men's cross country schools. Jensen and Jordan Will (football 2020) are the third and fourth Beavers to earn the NSIC Elite 18 Award since its inception in 2016-17.  They join Andrea Franco (2016 & 2018 Soccer & 2019-20 IDTF) and Caleb Fornshell (2017 Baseball) as the only Beavers to earn the award. 

Jensen is a sophomore majoring in computer science and holds a 4.00 grade point average. The Belcourt, North Dakota native was finished 26th as a freshman at the 2019 NSIC Cross Country Championships with a time of 27:14.9.  His best finish was at the 2019 Dragon Twilight where his time of 19.27.5 earned him 15th place.  He was also named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence this fall.  

“I could not think of someone more deserving of this award from our program than Jacob. He continues to be the complete student-athlete getting it done both in the classroom and on the cross country course. He has done a fantastic job helping lead our men’s cross country team during this most unusual fall and despite not having a traditional season, Jacob has continued to work hard and prepare for the remainder of the 2020-2021 academic year. I have no doubt that he will be ready when the time comes to step back on the starting line,” stated Minot State Head Cross Country Coach Mark Del Monaco.

As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The NSIC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC’s 18 Championships.