BURNSVILLE, Minn. — The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) announced the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Elizabeth VanLoon
as the 2026 Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award winner and Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Jack Strand as the recipient of the 2026 Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award. The Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence, in its 42nd year, recognizes the NSIC’s top male student-athlete and the Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award, in its 41st year, is presented to the NSIC’s top female student-athlete.  

The Britton Award was created in 1985 in honor of Dr. William Britton, a longtime faculty representative at Bemidji State University who served on the Athletic Board of Control of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference for 25 years. Britton retired from BSU in 1982 and passed away in March of 2019. 

The Kelly Award is named in honor of Willis R. Kelly, an associate professor of physical education at the University of Minnesota-Morris. A member of the NSIC Hall of Fame, Kelly also coordinated the Minnesota-Morris Physical Education Department from 1970-87. She became the first director of women’s intercollegiate athletics at Minnesota-Morris in 1976 and was later promoted to athletics director for the whole department. Kelly passed away in 1988.

The member institutions of the NSIC nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the Britton and Kelly Awards. The nominees must meet the following criteria: a grade point average of 3.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale); evidence of academic excellence beyond the minimum grade point average (scholarship prizes and other academic recognition), evidence of participation in the life of the institution, and evidence of participation in at least two-thirds of the varsity events of the individual’s primary sport. The award is voted on by the NSIC Faculty Athletic Representatives.

The 32 student-athletes nominated for the NSIC’s two most prestigious awards will also be recognized as NSIC Male and Female Honor Student-Athletes of the Year at their respective institutions. VanLoon and Strand will be recognized Tuesday, July 7 at the NSIC Hall of Fame Banquet in Bloomington, Minnesota and will each receive a $3,000 post-graduate scholarship. 

Elizabeth VanLoon, a native of New Brighton, Minnesota, is a senior majoring in cell and molecular biology with a minors in chemistry & coaching at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Irondale High School graduate holds a 4.00 grade point average while excelling in cross country and track & field for the Bulldogs. VanLoon is the seventh student-athlete from Minnesota Duluth to earn the NSIC Kelly Award.

VanLoon has been recognized with numerous NSIC academic honors throughout her career, including being a 2026 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award recipient, a multiple-time member of the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence, and a two-time NSIC Elite 18 Award winner in cross country, in addition to earning the Elite 18 Award in indoor track & field. She was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Team and is a member of UMD’s Honors Program. She has been accepted into the University of Iowa’s Health, Sport, and Human Physiology graduate program, where she will pursue her master’s and Ph.D. beginning next fall.

VanLoon has been actively involved in undergraduate research, including projects examining mental fatigue on athletic performance and a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored summer internship at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where she studied mobility in older adults. Her current research focuses on the relationship between oral contraceptive use and female exercise physiology and athletic performance. She recently won a regional research competition for this work and will compete at the national level.

VanLoon has been a four-year competitor in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field for the Bulldogs. She earned NSIC Women’s Cross Country Outstanding Senior of the Year honors and has claimed multiple top10 performances, including top-eight finishes in the indoor 3K and 5K. She ranks among the top performers in program history, including the sixth-fastest indoor 5K time and a top10 steeplechase performance.

In the community, VanLoon has served as a certified nursing assistant at an elderly care home in Duluth, worked as a summer program coordinator at the Boys and Girls Club of Duluth, and contributed to the UMD Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. She has also been involved in undergraduate research initiatives, student filmmaking projects, and campus organizations, while remaining active in service and leadership roles.

Jack Strand, a native of Bloomer, Wisconsin, is a senior majoring in engineering physics at Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Bloomer High School graduate holds a 3.87 grade point average while excelling in football for the Dragons. Strand is the fourth student-athlete from Minnesota State Moorhead to earn the NSIC Britton Award and the first since 2000. 

Strand’s academic accomplishments are among the most distinguished in NCAA Division II. He was named to the 2025 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Class and selected as one of just 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy from a national pool of 180 semifinalists, earning an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. He was also named the 2025 CSC Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for Division II football and earned CSC Academic All-America® First Team honors, after being a Second Team selection in 2024. A two-time CSC Academic All-District honoree and three-time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence selection, Strand also received the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award and was a NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Scholarship recipient.

Strand has excelled in one of the most rigorous academic programs offered, maintaining a 3.87 GPA in engineering physics while completing coursework in calculus-based physics, advanced mathematics, computational science, and laboratory research. His academic discipline and intellectual curiosity have set him apart as one of the top scholar-athletes in the nation.

On the field, Strand leaves as one of the most decorated players in NSIC history. He finished his career as the conference’s all-time leader in completions (1,147), passing yards (12,134), and passing touchdowns (115), while ranking among the top 10 in NCAA Division II history in multiple passing categories. In his senior season, he led the NSIC in passing yards (3,546) and total offense (3,834), set a school record with 42 passing touchdowns, and accounted for 47 total touchdowns. He was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Year, earned multiple All-America honors, and finished fourth in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy. A two-time NSIC Offensive Player of the Year and three-time All-NSIC selection, Strand helped lead the Dragons to back-to-back winning seasons and historic victories over ranked opponents. Strand recently signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft.

On campus and in the community, Strand has been a two-year team captain and a central leader within the Dragon football program. He has been actively involved in campus ministry and Bible study groups, fostering a strong sense of community and accountability. In a notable act of gratitude, he donated the full $5,000 Faculty Salute award from the National Football Foundation to the MSUM physics department to recognize the professors who supported his academic journey. He has also volunteered with Make-A-Wish, Feed My Starving Children, and youth football programs, demonstrating a strong commitment to service and mentorship.

2025-26 NSIC HONOR STUDENT ATHLETES