For Immediate Release
Thursday, November 20, 2025
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Elite 18 Award
BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Minnesota Duluth's
DaShaun Ames was named the 2025 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. Ames is a senior majoring in physical education and holds a 3.96 cumulative grade point average.
Minnesota Duluth won its 22nd NSIC Championship and 13th North Division title this season after finishing with a 9-1 NSIC record and a 5-1 mark in the North Division.
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.
A team captain and native of Cumberland, Wisconsin and Cumberland High School grad, Ames was awarded his second career all-conference selection this season. The wide receiver earned the honor after gaining 238 yards on 23 receptions. He scored two touchdowns and returned seven kickoffs for a combined 151 yards. He has earned the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award and has been named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence and the CSC Academic All-American Second Team. For his career he has played in 39 games for UMD with 98 receptions for 1,648 yards and 16 touchdowns.
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-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 27 team national championships and crowned 122 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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