BURNSVILLE, Minn. -- The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has announced their 2019 Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award winners, and 13 Viking student-athletes have earned the leagues top academic honor.

Augustana's Myles Brand All-Academic Distinction Award Winners:
Name                        Sport                 Hometown                Major
Colin Ayers                Wrestling           Waterville, Minn.        Sports Admin. & Leadership
Josh Barrows            Track/CC            Helena, Mont.            English
Michael Brandt          Baseball             Rochester, Minn.       Psychology / Pre-med
Jordan Cardenas       Football             Lakeville, Minn           Government studies
Connor Herd              Baseball            Cologne, Minn.           Sports Admin. & Leadership
Kirby Hora                  Football             Sioux Falls, S.D.         Biology
Brett Kramer               Football             Winneconne, Wis.      Accounting MPA
Joey Newman            Football              Crooks, S.D.               Athletic Training
Amanda Nelson         Track/CC           Billings, Mont.             Nursing
Leah Seivert               Cross Country   Sibley, Iowa                Elementary Education
Shelby Selland           Basketball           Letcher, S.D.             Elementary Education
Coley Stoller               Track & Field      Madison, S.D.            Accounting MPA
Avram Tynes              Football              Omaha, Neb.             Exercise Science

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 wristwatch. A record number 156 student-athletes from the NSIC's 16 institutions will receive the award in its tenth year, nine more than last year's record of 147.

NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind is proud of the league's accomplishments in the classroom. "I am filled with pride on how our student-athletes in the NSIC continue to excel in the classroom, in the community, and on the playing field," Lind said. "We continue to increase the number of student-athletes that have earned the Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award, which is a testament to the dedication of the student-athletes, coaches and administrators in our league. These are characteristics in which Dr. Myles Brand emphasized. I am extremely proud of all these student-athletes for their devotion to their universities, the NSIC and to their personal academic and athletic goals. I have no doubt these student-athletes will continue to achieve success in life well beyond the classroom and the competition venues."

About Dr. Myles N. Brand
Dr. Myles N. Brand, 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. Brand presided over passage of the most comprehensive academic reform package for intercollegiate athletics in recent history – a package that refocused the attention of student-athletes, coaches and administrators on the education of student-athletes. Brand also changed the national dialog on college sports to emphasize the educational value of athletics participation and the integration of intercollegiate athletics with the academic mission of higher education. His impact on Division II ran deep by implementing an identity campaign and a strategic-positioning platform tied to specific divisional attributes. He challenged Division II to continue its game environment and community engagement focus, and improve academic success rates.