Ten St. Cloud State student-athletes were honored last month with the seventh annual NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic With Distinction Award, the league office announced Jan. 14.

 

One of those winners was Becker’s own Mari Liestman, a Becker High School 2011 graduate.

 

The 10 winners from St. Cloud State were: Brittany Plombon – Soccer – Criminal Justice; Gabby Fleck –Soccer – Lee's Summit, MO – Finance; Sophie Jaskulske – Volleyball – Maplewood, MN – Psychology; Emma Konopasek – Women's Basketball – De Pere, WI – Elementary Education; Karissa LeCaptain – Women's Basketball – Algoma, WI – Community Health; Mari Liestman – Golf – Becker, MN – Biomedical Sciences; John Simila – Cross Country / Track – Warminster, PA – History; Logan Spitzack – Baseball – West Concord, MN – Elementary Education; Brianne Stamer – Volleyball – Hutchinson, MN – Biomedical Sciences; Lindsay Stassen – Cross Country / Track – Hutchinson, MN – Studio Art.

 

 The honor, named for the late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, is bestowed to senior NSIC student-athletes who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, are exhausting their eligibility and are on track to graduate. Each student-athlete will be recognized by the NSIC with a certificate of achievement and a wrist watch. A record number 133 student-athletes from the NSIC's 16 institutions received the award in its seventh year, over twenty more than a year ago.

 

 Dr. Myles N. Brand, a visionary leader, educator and reformer, served as the President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 2003-2009. He passed away in September 2009 at the age of 67 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. 

 

The NSIC is a 16-team, 17-sport, NCAA Division II conference with teams located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

 

Mari is the daughter of Pam and Jason Liestman of Becker.