BURNSVILLE, Minn. – A day after earning All-NSIC South Division honors, Augustana junior Mitchell Goodbary has been named the NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for holding the highest GPA amongst postseason competing schools in the NSIC.
 
Goodbary, a native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the second student-athlete at Augustana in 2021-22 to earn the award, joining Rachel Rairdon who was given the award at the cross country championships.
 
The tight end is majoring in exercise science at Augustana and holds a 3.98 GPA.
 
On the field in 2021, Goodbary played in all eleven regular-season games for the Vikings, accumulating 16 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns. He saved his best game for the regular-season finale, where he caught a pair of passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns. His third touchdown of 2021 came against the Vikings opening round postseason opponent, Bemidji State. In that game, he caught three passes for 22 yards and his first-career score.
 
As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The NSIC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC's 18 Championships.
 
Goodbary is the eighth student-athlete to earn the award since its inception, joining Rairdon (two-time winner), Tiegen Lindner, Ben Kelvington, Leah Seivert (two-time winner), Hannah Hankinson and Zach Tuschen.