For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 5, 2022
NSIC Elite 18 Award

ROCHESTER, Minn. -  Liz Pautz of Winona State University repeated as the NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for softball. Pautz was presented the award prior to the Warrior's opening round game in the NSIC Softball Tournament, which is taking place Thursday-Saturday at the RYFSA Complex in Rochester, Minnesota.  Pautz is the ninth student-athlete from Winona State to earn the NSIC Elite 18 Award (on 11 occasions) since its inception in 2016-17.

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 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.

Pautz is a senior majoring in biology and holds a 4.00 grade point average.  The Pulaski, Wisconsin native earned All-NSIC first team honors after finishing the 2022 NCAA Division II regular softball season ranked No. 1 in the country in strikeouts-per-seven innings, averaging 12.7, and is eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 8.79. She earned the second-most wins in the NSIC regular season (23), struck out the most batters in the league (306) and has thrown the most complete games (23) of any pitcher in the conference. With seven shutouts on the year, Pautz finished second in the NSIC in that category. 

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 have the opportunity to 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.