For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Indoor Championship Website

NSIC Women’s Track Athlete of the Year
Denisha Cartwright (Sprints/Hurdles, Sr., Nassau, Bahamas / Pennfoster HS) - Minnesota State
- NSIC Championship High Point Performer with 30 points, her third time earning the honor 
- Won all three events she competed in, breaking the NSIC record in each
- Won the 60m hurdles for the fourth year in a row with a NCAA record time of 7.93
- Broke the NSIC record in the 200m dash in a time of 23.68
- Won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.23, tying her record from the 2023 prelims
- Ranks first in NCAA Division II in the 60m (7.23), 200m (23.32) and the 60m hurdles (7.93)
- Qualified for NCAA Championships in three events and a relay
- Named NSIC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year for the fourth straight season

NSIC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year
Arianna Passeri (Sprints/Jumps, Gr., Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount HS) – University of Mary
- NSIC Champion in the long jump with a leap of 20-01 (6.12m)
- Ranks third in NCAA Division II in the long jump
- Placed third in the triple jump (41-3.75 / 12.59m) at the NSIC Championships, earning All-NSIC honors
- Was second in the 60m dash with at UMary school record time of 7.45
- Scored 24 points at the NSIC Championships, the second highest total of any female student-athlete

NSIC Women’s Newcomer of the Year
Victoriia Ermolaeva (Multi/Jumps, Fr., Saint Petersburg, Russia) - Minnesota State
- Scored 14.5 points at the NSIC Championships
- Placed second in the long jump at 19-7 (5.97m), ranking 14th in Division II this season
- Was on third place 4x400m relay team
- Tied for fourth in the high jump at 5-4.5 (1.64m)
- Ranks sixth in the nation in the pentathlon with a score of 3,863 from the Mark Schuck Open 

NSIC Women’s Assistant Coach  of the Year
Chris Parno – Minnesota State
- Coached a group that scored 92 points at the NSIC Championships
- Coached NSIC High Point Performer Denisha Cartwright to three NSIC and one NCAA records
- Coached four NSIC Championships this season
- Named NSIC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year for the second time 

NSIC Women’s Coach  of the Year
Mike Turgeon - Minnesota State 
- Led MSU to its fourth straight NSIC Women’s Indoor Championship
- Coached the Mavericks to a No.1 ranking in the USTFCCCA Rating Index this season
- Coached 8 student-athletes to NSIC Championships this season
- Named NSIC Women's Indoor Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season

All-Conference performers consist of the top three place winners in each event and the members of the top two relay teams from the conference meet. 2023-24 All-NSIC Performers

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 111 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.