For Immediate Release
Friday, February 24, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Northern State’s Jordan Belka was voted by the league coaches as the winner of the NSIC Bob Olson Outstanding Senior of the Year Award.  A native of Rogers, Minnesota, Belka is a graduate student majoring in accounting and holds a 3.9 cumulative grade point average.

The “Bob Olson Outstanding Senior of the Year Award” is presented to a NSIC men’s basketball student-athlete who participates at his institution for four years and is academically superior while making a positive contribution to his team and University. The Bob Olson Outstanding Senior of the Year award was initiated in 2020-21 to honor an outstanding senior that exemplifies the attributes of Bob Olson. Olson, a longtime basketball coach and administrator at Northern State University, is known for his loyalty, commitment and humility. The NSIC men’s basketball coaches felt Olson exemplified the attributes of the NSIC and wanted to honor a graduating senior student-athlete from the league that emulated Olson’s traits. 

On the court, Belka has appeared in every game over his 5-year career at Northern State (146 games and counting). Currently he has scored over 1,200 career points as he averages 13.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg this season after averaging 14 ppg and 6.9 rpg in 2021-2022. He is a two-time All-NSIC Second Team  selection, a three-year team captain and a member of four NSIC Championship teams. He projects to finish in the Top 20 of Northern State’s All-Time Leading Scorer list. 

Belka is a graduate accounting student with a double major in accounting and finance. He is a multiple time recipient  of the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence and a 2022-23 CSC Academic All-District team member

In the community, Belka has assisted in the Aberdeen Book Drive, volunteered at the Aberdeen Salvation Army and has interned at Eide Bailley and Schwan Financial.  He has also coached at Northern State Youth Basketball Camps and represented the men’s basketball team on the NSU student-athlete advisory committee. He has also been involved in the NSU Day of Champions.

“Jordan Belka has been nothing short of a model student-athlete during his career at Northern State. On the court he achieved great individual success while having a prominent leadership role on teams that have combined for a 114-32 record during his time in Aberdeen. In the classroom, he has a 3.9 cumulative GPA and already holds two Bachelor degrees as he works toward his Masters. In the community, he has immersed himself in serving the community while interning at two local businesses. In short, Jordan represents everything the Bob Olson Outstanding Senior Award is about,” said Head Coach Saul Phillips.

2020-21 Winner: Andrew Kallman, Northern State
2021-22 Winner: Devin Whitelow, Winona State

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.