For Immediate Release
Sunday, March 2, 2025
NSIC Elite 18 Award
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –
Jacob Beeninga of Minnesota State University Moorhead earned his fourth straight NSIC Elite 18 Award for men’s basketball. Beeninga was presented the award during the pregame of the NSIC Men's Basketball quarterfinal game on Sunday at the Sanford Pentagon.
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 his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her 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.
Beeninga, in his sixth season with MSUM, is a senior athletically and is majoring in accounting & finance and holds a 4.00 undergrad grade point average. The Maple Grove, Minnesota native is second on the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game after missing a stretch due to injury. In 15 games played he has scored 235 points with 45 rebound, 44 assists and 12 steals, helping the Dragons to a 20-8 record and a tie for third place in the NSIC standings.
Beeninga was also named the
NSIC Bob Olson Outstanding Senior of the Year, which honors 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.
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.
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