For Immediate Release
Friday, November 21, 2025
NSIC Media Relations
NSIC Elite 18 Award

ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Cloud State University’s Emilie Planert has been announced as the 2025 NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for volleyball, recognized for holding the highest grade point average with the most credits earned among the four remaining tournament teams. Planert was presented the award during the pregame of the St. Cloud State semifinal match at the NSIC Volleyball Tournament, taking place at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration during the 2016-17 academic year, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was created to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring individuals who have 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.

Planert, a senior from De Pere, Wisconsin, is majoring in Education at St. Cloud State. The West De Pere High School graduate holds a 4.00 cumulative grade point average. This season she has played in 67 sets with 113 kills and 57 blocks with 144.5 points.  

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.