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BURNSVILLE, Minn. —  The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has announced its 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees.  The induction ceremony will be held Tuesday, July 9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis South as part of the annual NSIC Summer Kickoff event.  A social will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the ceremony at 6:00 p.m.  Reserve your tickets for the banquet by visiting https://northernsun.org/HOFBanquet and filling out the on-line Hall of Fame Banquet Registration Form.  Registrations are due no later than July 1, as space is limited for this event.

The class of 2024 includes: Bryan Lippincott, Concordia University, St. Paul; John Alin, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Carly Boag, Minot State University, Matt Meuleners, Northern State University; Chris Pack, Southwest Minnesota State University; Shamus O’Grady, St. Cloud State University and the 2008-09 Minnesota State Women’s Basketball Team.

Founded in 1986, the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC - the former men’s conference) Hall of Fame was established to recognize and honor those who made significant contributions to the conference, to create favorable publicity and public relations for the league and to help preserve the history of the NIC, its member institutions, student-athletes, and other significant individuals affiliated with the league.  For the first two inductions (1986 and 1990) each selection hailed from the NIC.  In 1992, the Northern Sun Conference (NSC - the former women’s conference) and the NIC merged, creating the current Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). After annual inductions since 2000, the NSIC Hall of Fame will now boast over 200 members and three teams. 

Each NSIC institution (who has been a league member for at least ten years) is asked to submit one candidate for consideration for induction into the Hall of Fame.  Each of the candidates are derived from individuals who have been affiliated with the NSIC, NIC, NSC and their member institutions.

In order to be eligible for the NSIC Hall of Fame, candidates must have made their contributions in one of the following areas: 1) former student-athletes, 2) administrator/coach, 3) official/supervisor/coordinator, 4) contributor/supporter, or 5) team. The conference provides two plaques; one of which will go to the inductee and one to the institution represented.  A history of each inductee will be kept in the NSIC Office and each institution will prominently display the plaques of their respective NSIC Hall of Fame inductees.

2024 NSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Bryan Lippincott, Concordia University, St. Paul (2009-2012)

Bryan Lippincott was a model student-athlete during his time at Concordia University St. Paul.  The Johnston, Iowa native held a .428 career batting average and a perfect 4.0 grade point average, was named the 2012 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and holds nine career records for the Golden Bears. 

One of the most distinguished hitters in NSIC baseball history, the Johnston High School graduate flirted with a .500 batting average for a single season while capturing the NCAA Division II batting title (.494) on his way to being selected by the Washington Nationals in the 19th round in the 2012 MLB Draft.

Lippincott started 29 games as a true freshman for a 2009 Golden Bear squad that set and still holds the program’s single season wins record with a 35-18 season.

In 2012 he was NSIC Player of the Year, All-Region First Team (ABCA, D2CCA, NCBWA) and a First Team All-American (ABCA, D2CCA, NCBWA). He was named All-NSIC three times during his career and was a four-time NSIC Player of the Week.  He slashed .428/.497/.715 in 161 career games with 254 hits, with 28 home runs, 63 doubles and 12 triples.  He was inducted into the CSP Hall of Fame in 2022.

Lippincott completed his finance degree at CSP and would later earn his MBA from the University of St. Thomas with an emphasis in business analytics. He works as a Finance Manager at Coloplast in Northeast Minneapolis and married CSP women’s basketball student-athlete Marlayna (Graff). They reside in Hugo, Minnesota with their children, Brooklynne (8), Everett (5) and Cameron (2).

John Alin, Minnesota State University Moorhead (1981-1985)

John Alin left his mark in the NSIC record books during his career from 1981 to 1985 at Minnesota State University Moorhead.  A native of West Fargo, North Dakota, Alin won the 1985 NAIA Outdoor 1500-meter title, was runner-up in the indoor mile and was part of  the third-place distance medley relay team. He also helped the Dragons to a second place finish in the two mile relay at the 1984 NAIA Indoor Championships.  He was voted Most Valuable Trackman at MSU Moorhead as a senior and was inducted in the Dragon Hall of Fame in 2005.  

A two-time All-NIC performer in cross country, Alin was a six-time NIC Champion and a four-time All-American in the 800m, 1500m and mile runs during the indoor and outdoor seasons. 

Alin is a part of the Dragon record holding relays in the 4x800m and DMR. He helped the Dragons to four indoor and four outdoor team titles along with a pair of cross country team titles. 

Alin received his degree from MSU Moorhead in business management in 1986. He is a retired corporate pilot and he and his wife Tracy have one son, Hans.

Carly Boag, Minot State University (2010-2014)

Carly Boag etched her name in the record books during her career at Minot State University, setting multiple Beaver and NSIC records. 

One of the greatest performances for the Tamworth, Australia native came when she scored a school single-game and NSIC tournament record 46 points against Upper Iowa. She also holds the Minot State records for rebounds (22), steals (6) and blocks (5) in a single game. 

Boag is the Minot State all-time scoring leader with 1,809 career points. She is also the program’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,030) and steals (264).

She is a two-time NSIC scoring champion, set the NSIC record for rebounds in a season with 270 and was named NSIC Player of the Year for the 2013-14 season.  

She was named First Team All-NSIC in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and also earn First Team All-Region honors those years. In 2013-14 she was also a Daktronics Second Team All-American, a DII Bulletin Fourth Team All-American and WBCA Daktronics honorable mention. She was also named the 2014 North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association’s College Female Athlete of the Year.

Boag was a member of the Minot State Dean’s List and very active in the community. She volunteered  hanging Christmas lights at a local nursing home, and visited schools, interacting with students and talking and teaching about basketball along with many other volunteering efforts.  She was inducted into the Minot State Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Following her collegiate career, Boag played professionally with the Leon Tregor Basket 29 in France, and with the Brydens Sydney Uni Flames, winning 2016-17 WNBL Championship. She also played professionally in Finland for Espoo Basket Team (EBT) and then the Bendigo Spirit in the WNBL  She is currently playing for the Mandurah Magic of the NBL1, the premier professional women’s basketball league in Australia. 

Matt Meuleners, Northern State University (2009-2013)

Matt Meuleners raised the bar during his time at Northern State University. He is one of only two NSIC wrestlers to win multiple NCAA Championships, as he took home back-to-back titles at heavyweight in 2011 and 2012. The Young America, Minnesota native also owns two of the 22 NSIC individual national titles won in the history of the league. He was inducted into the Northern State Hall of Fame in 2023 and will be inducted into the Jim Koch NWCA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in late July.

Meuleners was the first four-time All-American and second two-time National Champion in Northern State history. He is also the only Northern State and NSIC wrestler to win back-to-back national championships in the same weight class. He reached the finals in three of his four seasons with the Wolves as he captured NSU’s first NCAA National wrestling crown in 2011 at 285 pounds. The 2012 season brought his second national championship at 285 pounds, prior to finishing his collegiate career as a national finalist in 2013.

Meuleners is also one of just 11 Wolves to record 100 career victories, and the only NSU wrestler to record multiple 30 win seasons.  He also holds the best record in program history at 145-39. In addition, he was a four-time All-NSIC performer and the 2011-12 NSIC Wrestler of the Year. Meuleners earned his first All-American honor as a freshman taking eighth at 197 pounds in 2010.

In 2013, Meuleners was honored as the NSU Clark Swisher Award recipient, given to the top male student-athlete for career achievement, as he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Performance and Fitness.  Following graduation, Meuleners was a U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier in 2016, three-time place winner at the Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament, two-time U.S. World Team Trials Qualifier, and three-time U.S. Open Senior Freestyle All-American. Additionally, he earned a Master of Science in Sport Management from the University of Central Missouri in 2019. In 2022 he was announced as the Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Sioux Falls. Matt and his wife Jessica have two children, Zoey (4) and Myles (1). 

Chris Pack , Southwest Minnesota State University (1995-1998)

Chris Pack was a dominant force on the mound for the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs from 1995 to 1998. A four-year letter winner and four-time All-NSIC first team all-conference honoree, Pack was a member of SMSU’s 1996 NSIC Championship team.

Pack finished his career first in the SMSU career record book in innings pitched (274.1), victories (28), strikeouts (224), games started (40), and complete games (27). He still holds the career records for wins, complete games and innings pitched.  Pack finished his career with a 28-11 record with four saves and a 3.31 ERA. 

Pack was also named the NSIC Pitcher of the Year in 1995 as he led the league with a 1.23 earned run average. He was inducted into the SMSU Hall of Honor in 2009.
A 1998 ABCA first team All-Region honoree, Pack finished his senior season with a 9-2 record and a 3.12 ERA in 78 innings pitched.  He helped lead SMSU to a school record 33 wins in 1998 and a runner-up finish in both the NSIC regular season standings and conference tournament. 

Voted three times by his teammates as SMSU’s Pitcher of the Year, Pack still holds school single-season records for wins (9) and strikeouts (82) in 1998.

Pack has taught math and been the head boys basketball coach at Hayfield High School for 24 years and been the AD the last 12. He has 386 career wins, four state tournament appearances, including back-to-back Class A State Titles in 2021 and 2022.  Chris and his wife of 25 years, Linda, have four children, Rachel (22), Ethan (20), Seth (17) and Nolan (14).

Shamus O’Grady, St. Cloud State University (2008-2013)

 Shamus O’Grady was one of the pillars of the St. Cloud State wrestling program from 2008-2013.  O’Grady capped his stellar career earning the NCAA Division II National Title at 184 pounds in 2013, the 14th individual national title in program history. He helped lead St. Cloud State to four top-10 NCAA finishes, including three consecutive second place team finishes at the NCAA Division II National Championships.  

One of only 10 four-time NCAA All-Americans in SCSU history, O’Grady earned top-eight national finishes in each season as a Husky, placing sixth in 2010, fourth in 2011 and fourth in 2012 at 174 pounds before jumping up a weight class to 184 pounds. His senior campaign was one of the best single season performances in program history, as he posted a 21-0 dual record, which is the most dual wins in a single season and one of just four undefeated dual records in program history. His 40 wins overall in 2013 are also a program record, as he was named the 2012-13 NSIC Wrestler of the Year and 2011 and 2013 NCAA Super Region 3 Most Outstanding Wrestler.

O’Grady also earned four All-NSIC honors from 2010-13 and was inducted into the St. Cloud State Hall of Fame in 2023.  O’Grady was a three-sport athlete as he also competed in cross country and track & field during his time at SCSU. 

O’Grady recently started his own sheep shearing business called O’Grady Works LLC. 

2008-09 Minnesota State University, Mankato Women’s Basketball Team

The 2008-09 Minnesota State University, Mankato women’s basketball team made history by winning the NSIC’s first NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Title. The Mavericks posted a 32-2 record, with the 32 wins tying for the most in a season by an NSIC women’s basketball program.  

After starting the season 17-0, MSU went 19-1 in NSIC play to win its first NSIC regular season title. Five Mavericks received All-NSIC honors, including Heather Johnson, Joanne Noreen and Alex Andrews garnering All-NSIC First Team honors. Johnson, Andrews and Noreen all reached 1,000 career points during the 2008-09 season, while Tiffany Moe and Liz Trauger joined the 1,000 point club the following season.

Head Coach Pam Gohl was named the NSIC Coach of the Year and the DII Bulletin Coach of the Year while Johnson was named DII Bulletin All-American Second Team, and Noreen was named honorable mention. Both Johnson and Noreen received WBCA All-American Honorable Mention honors as well. 

In their championship run at the NCAA Division II Elite 8, MSU claimed wins over Michigan Tech (61-53) and Alaska Anchorage (83-60) before defeating Franklin Pierce 103-94 in the NCAA national championship game. The 197 points is the NCAA Division II Championship game record for combined points scored and the 103 points are the second-most points in the NCAA Division II Championship game. 

The Mavericks scored 2,763 points over the course of the season and shot 47.2% from the field, both team records. The team finished in the top 10 in several categories in NCAA Division II including win/loss percentage (1st/.941), assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd/1.27), field goal percentage (3rd/.472), turnover margin (4th/+7.15), points per game (7th/81.3), scoring margin (9th/+16.6).

Team members included: Pam Gohl (head coach), Amy Sander (asst. coach), Sarah Tracy (asst. coach), Heather Johnson Anderson, Lauren Barber, Nicole (Christianson) Benish, Casey Christian, Liz (Trauger) Grant, Sarah (Wiens) Heath, Jennie (Noreen) Helget, Mari Korton, Gretta Layman, Tiffany Moe, Flecia (Foster) Neznik, Alex (Andrews) Shepp, Teresa (Parker) Stenzel, Joanne (Noreen) Thomason, Alyssa Van Klei, Andrea Walsh, Laura Weber, and Amanda (Nygaard) Williams.