For Immediate Release
Saturday, November 11, 2023
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Elite 18 Award
BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Augustana's
Mitchell Goodbary was named the 2023 NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for football as he held the highest cumulative grade point average from student-athletes competing on an NSIC Championship football program. Goodbary earns the award for the second time, as he also earned it in 2021. Augustana won its second NSIC Championship in the past three seasons as they finished the season 9-1 in NSIC play.
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.
Goodbary is a senior majoring in exercise science and holds a 3.98 grade point average. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native played in all 11 games for the Vikings at tight end, catching 12 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. For his career he has played in 40 games with 48 receptions for 594 yards and seven touchdowns.
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in 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 union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 110 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.
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