For Immediate Release
Saturday, May 9, 2026
NSIC Media Relations
DULUTH, Minn. — The University of Sioux Falls’ Tamia Horton has been named the NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year for women’s outdoor track and field, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
The NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year Award is presented annually to a women’s track and field student-athlete who has competed at their institution for four years, is academically superior and has made a positive contribution to their team and university. The award honors a senior who exemplifies the attributes of the model NSIC student-athlete through excellence in athletics, academics and community engagement.
Horton, a native of Maplewood, Minnesota, is majoring in exercise science at Sioux Falls and carries a 3.70 cumulative grade-point average.
On the track, Horton has been one of the premier sprinters in the NSIC, setting school records in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and as part of the 4x100-meter relay. She is a nine-time NSIC placewinner, earning three honors each in the 60-meter dash, 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay, and was crowned NSIC indoor champion in the 60 meters. Horton is a three-time NCAA national qualifier and earned NCAA First Team All-America honors in the 100-meter dash.
In the classroom, Horton has excelled, earning Dean’s List recognition in eight consecutive semesters. She is a six-time NSIC All-Academic selection and has been named an NCAA Academic All-American while also serving as an exercise science tutor on campus.
Beyond athletics and academics, Horton has been active in the community, volunteering to teach Parkinson’s classes through Avera and working with adaptive gymnastics through AAGA. She has also served as a volunteer at the USF Food Pantry, Our Savior Lutheran Church Food Pantry and HealthPartners Neuroscience Center Rehabilitation, while assisting as a student volunteer at Laura B. Anderson Elementary School.
“Tamia has shown tremendous growth and development over the course of her career,” said head coach Eric Chilson. “Not only is she a standout athlete, but she is also a leader on the track and in the classroom. She has garnered numerous school records while maintaining a high GPA and spending time tutoring other USF students. She has been a backbone of our women’s squad and has never faltered under pressure.”
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, 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 16-team 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.
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