For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 26, 2026
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Swimmer of the Year
Sophie Leo (Back/Free, Jr., Blaine, Minn. / Blaine HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Tallied three All-America Finishes, making finals in three events at NCAA Swimming Championships
- Recorded a fourth-place finish in the 100-Back at NCAA Swimming Championships
- Notched a ninth-place finish in the 100-free at NCAA Swimming Championships
- Hit four NCAA B-Cuts at the NSIC Swimming and Diving Championships
- Became an NSIC Champion in both the 100-Free and 50-Free
- Gathered four All-NSIC Finishes at the NSIC Swimming and Diving Championships
-Recorded 17 first-place finishes this season and led all NSIC Swimmers at NCAA Championships

NSIC Diver of the Year
Avery Lommel (Diver, Jr., Delano, Minn. / Delano HS) - Augustana
- Placed fifth at the NCAA Championships in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, earning first team All-America honors in both 
- Earned NSIC Championships in both the 1m and 3m dive
- Reset program records in the 11 dive in both events, scoring as high as a 462.75 in the 1m and 474.35 in the 3m

NSIC Freshman of the Year
Olivia Gibbons (Breast/Free, Fr., Kalispell, Mont. / Glacier HS) - University of Mary
- Achieved two NCAA “B” qualifying cuts during the season
- Broke school records in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke
- Swam on four relay teams that set new program records
- Recorded one first-place finish, one second-place finish, three third-place finishes and one fifth-place finish at the conference meet
- Earned All-NSIC honors
- Helped UMary complete an undefeated dual meet season

NSIC Diving Coach of the Year
Andrew Makepeace - Augustana
- Coached Avery Lommel to a pair of NSIC Championships in the 1m and 3m dive
- Mentored Lommel to new program records in both events
- Coached Lommel to a pair of All-America performances, finishing fifth in both the 1m and 3m Dives at the NCAA Championships
- Second consecutive Diving Coach of the Year Honor 

NSIC Swimming Coach of the Year
Nathan Owens - Minnesota State
- Led the Mavericks to their fourth NSIC Swimming & Diving Championship
- Coached NSIC Swimmer of the Meet Savannah Acker, who scored 80 points at the NSIC Championships
- Coached Acker to All-American Honorable Mention honors in the 100 backstroke at NCAA Championships
- Named NSIC Swim Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career

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 126 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.