For Immediate Release
Monday, March 28, 2022
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#22 Sydney Nielsen (C/IF, So., R/R, Marion, Iowa / Marion HS) - Minnesota State
- Batted .556 with five hits and two home runs in three wins last week
- Drove in four and scored a team-leading eight runs
- Posted a 1.444 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage
- Scored four runs in MSU's 7-0 win vs. Missouri Southern last Monday 
- Helped MSU to a non-conference sweep of SMSU last Thursday

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#17 Mackenzie Ward (RHP, Sr., R/R, Clive, Iowa / Valley HS) – Minnesota State
- Went 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA last week
- Struck out 10 batters and held opposing batters to a .161 batting average
- Gave up five hits and two runs in nine innings pitched
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the fourth week in a row

Other Top Performances - Players
Alexandria Arndt (NSU) batted .500 (2-for-4) with a 1.250 slugging percentage as she hit one home run and scored a pair of runs for the Wolves last week against Black Hills State.  

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Meghan Anderson (NSU) went 6.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on seven hits while striking out nine in a 1-0 loss to Black Hills State. 
 

NSIC Softball Players of the Week
2/8/22
Player: #12 Jordyn Thomas - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #20 Sam Pederson - Minnesota Duluth
2/15/22
Player: #10 Jamie Odlum - Minot State
Pitcher: #9 Meghan Anderson - Northern State
2/22/22
Player: #8 Kiana Bender - Minnesota Duluth 
Pitcher: #24 Liz Pautz - Winona State
3/1/22
Player: #13 Sydney Trees  – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #15 Trinity Junker – St. Cloud State
3/7/22
Player: #10 Kylie Madrid – Sioux Falls
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State
3/14/22
Player:  #12 Delaney Young – Augustana
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State (2)
3/21/22
Player:  #20 Grace Beseman - Concordia-St. Paul 
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State (3) 
3/28/22
Player: #22 Sydney Nielsen - Minnesota State
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State (4) 

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 90 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.