For Immediate Release
Saturday, May 9, 2026
NSIC Media Relations

DULUTH, Minn. — Northern State University's Sam Tremelling has been named the NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year for men'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 men'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.

Tremelling, a native of Chelmsford, Essex, is majoring in business administration at Northern State and carries a 3.98 cumulative grade-point average.

One of the top pole vaulters in program history, Tremelling is a four-time NSIC champion and six-time All-NSIC performer in the pole vault. He earned NCAA First Team All-America honors and is a two-time NCAA Division II national meet participant while holding Northern State's outdoor school record in the event. Tremelling has recorded 48 career top-eight finishes and 29 top-three finishes, including a runner-up finish at the 2025 Drake Relays. Internationally, he qualified for the British Senior Championships, an event reserved for the top vaulters in the United Kingdom.

In the classroom, Tremelling has compiled an impressive academic resume. He is a three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic recipient, a seven-time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence selection, a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, and D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award winner. He is also a recipient of the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic Award and an NSIC Honor-Student Athlete.  He became the first men's track and field student-athlete in Northern State history to earn CSC Academic All-America honors. Tremelling has also earned Dean's List recognition every semester of his collegiate career and was named the Clark Swisher Award winner at NSU.

Beyond athletics and academics, Tremelling has been active across the Northern State campus community. He has twice won NSU's Big Idea Business Competition and works with the athletic department handling game-day film duties while also serving as the voice of Northern State soccer livestream broadcasts.

"Since arriving at NSU, Sam has placed each year in the pole vault," said head coach Lynne Dingman. "He is a four-time conference champion and six-time All-Conference performer who has reached new heights each season. He will be rounding out his final competition this outdoor season, and he is very deserving of this award."

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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