For Immediate Release
Friday, February 28, 2025
NSIC Media Relations

Burnsville, Minn. - Jacob Beeninga of Minnesota State University Moorhead was voted by the league coaches as the winner of the NSIC Bob Olson Outstanding Senior of the Year Award.  A native of Maple Grove, Minnesota, Beeninga is a graduate student majoring in accounting/finance and holds a 4.00 cumulative undergrad  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, Beeninga is a NSIC First Team selection in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, a part of two NSIC Tournament Championships (2022 and 2023), was the NSIC Tournament MVP in 2023. He has been honored with NABC All-District Second Team honors in 2023-24, and has surpassed the 1,500 career point mark. 

In the classroom, Beeninga is a two-time CSC All-District and First Team All-American selection. He has earned the NSIC Elite 18 Award for three straight years, the first student-athlete to achieve that milestone. He has also been an NSIC Academic Team of Excellence member for multiple seasons. 

In the community, Beeninga volunteers at Probstfield Elementary School, is an active member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, and served on SAAC during the 2022-23 school year. 

“Jacob is the perfect student-athlete to be honored with the Bob Olson Outstanding Senior of the Year Award. Jacob has epitomized what it means to be a student-athlete at the college level. He has received the highest of awards both on the court for his play both from a conference standpoint, as well as a national standpoint. Off the court, his work in the classroom has allowed him to be the only three-time NSIC Elite 18 Award winner, as well as countless honor rolls both in and out of his season of competition. Throughout his time at Minnesota State University Moorhead, Jacob has made everything and everybody around him better. His enthusiasm, attitude, tireless work ethic and infectious personality has positively impacted not only those at MSUM, but the entire Moorhead community. In the classroom, on the court, and in the community Jacob has been the gold standard of what it means to be a student-athlete in the NSIC,” stated Head Coach Tim Bergstraser.
 
Past Winners
2020-21: Andrew Kallman, Northern State
2021-22: Devin Whitelow, Winona State
2022-23: Jordan Belka, Northern State
2023-24: Isaac Fink, Augustana

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 27 team national championships and crowned 116 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.