For Immediate Release
Saturday, November 5, 2022
NSIC Elite 18 Award

WAYNE, Neb. – Morgan Radel of the University of Minnesota Duluth was named the 2022 NSIC Elite 18 Award for women's cross country as she held the highest grade point average with the most credits earned among the 16 women's cross country schools competing at the NSIC Championships. Radel was presented the award during the post championship ceremony at the NSIC Cross Country Championships, which were held at Wayne Country Club in Wayne, Nebraska. This is the second NSIC Elite 18 Award for Radel, who also won the award for Indoor Track & Field last winter.  

As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration during the 2016-17 academic year, 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 their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their 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.

Radel is graduate student majoring in environment, sustainability & geography and political science and holds a 4.00 grade point average. The Arco, Minnesota native and graduate of Marshall High School placed 21st at the NSIC Championships, helping the Bulldogs to a fourth place team finish.  Her personal best 6K time sits at 21:56.1 from the 2021 NCAA Central Region Championship, where she placed 30th. Last season Radel ran 22:38.43 at the NSIC Championships to finish in 15th place and earn All-NSIC second team honors.  

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.