Men's Honor Athletes for North Central Conference Announced
Seven outstanding male student-athletes have been honored by the North Central Conference as the league's Honor Athletes for the 2006-07 academic year.
Each school selected its top student-athlete on the basis of academic performance, athletic ability and performance and leadership in campus and community activities. In addition, each student-athlete must have graduated this spring or be within 12 credit hours of graduation. The select group will be honored at the NCC Honor Awards Dinner May 21 in Sioux Falls, S.D. and are finalists for the NCC Scholar-Athlete Award which will be announced at the dinner.
The honored student-athletes with the schools they represent are: Luke Anderson, Minnesota State; Michael Greenwood, North Dakota; Cody Henriksen, Augustana; Matt Hockett, Minnesota Duluth; Matt Murphy, South Dakota; JD Naig, Nebraska-Omaha and Adam Sullivan, St. Cloud State.
Here is a brief summary on each honored athlete:
Luke Anderson, Minnesota State, Basketball, Bloomington, Minn. - 2006-07 Minnesota State Senior Male Student-Athlete of the Year (Don Buchanan Award)...Named to three All-America teams as a senior guard with the men's basketball team...Named First Team All-America by The Basketball Times...Also named to First-Team All North Central Region and First-Team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches...Named First Team All-American by DII Bulletin...First-Team Preseason All-America by Street & Smith's magazine, Preseason National Player of the Year by the DII Bulletin, Academic All-NCC...Named to the College Basketball Invitational All-Star Game and to the NABC Division II All-Star Game...Was selected to ESPN The Magazine's CoSIDA Academic All-District V Team...Four-time All-North Central Conference selection, the first player ever in league history to be honored four times...2006-07 NCC's Most Valuable Player - the first Maverick to earn honor since Pat Coleman (1996) to do so...Led the North Central Conference in scoring in 2006-07 with 19.2 ppg...He leaves Minnesota State atop the record books in scoring (2,328), games played (132), games started (129), minutes played (4,102), field goals made (806), three-point field goals made (328) and free throws made (388). He is also 10th in school history in career rebounds with 653....As a junior was named Second Team All-American by Daktronics...Also named First Team All-American by the NABC...Named First-Team All-North Central Region by both Daktronics and the NABC in 2005-06...Was named a Fourth-Team All-American by the Division II Bulletin in 2005-06...Was a four-time NCC Player of the Week during course of career...2006-07 Maverick Achievement Award recipient as a senior scholar-athlete...As a junior and sophomore he was an Academic All-NCC Honoree...Currently student teaching at Kennedy Elementary...Has worked as a counselor at Maverick Basketball Camps...Worked with adults learning English as a second language...Participated with Trick or Treat with the Mavericks...Was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army...3.15 grade point average and majoring in physical education.
Michael Greenwood, North Dakota, Football, Jamestown, N.D. - Has a 3.94 GPA in biology and plans to enter UND School of Medicine in the fall...Three-year letterwinner as a safety on the UND football team that won three NCC Championships and advanced to the NCAA DII playoffs four times in his career...2006-07 NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship First Alternate...2006 ESPN the Magazine Academic All American 1st Team...Dean's List every semester (Fall 02-Fall 06)...President's Honor Roll every semester (Fall 02- Fall 06)...NCC Commissioner's Honor Roll - 2005 and 2006...2006 Academic All-NCC First Team...2004, 2005, 2006 ESPN the Magazine Academic All District Teams...UND Scholar Athlete of the Month - November 2006...2007 UND Presidential Award (given to senior athletes graduating w/a 3.75+ GPA)...Holiday Magic for Marcus Christmas fundraising project 2002-06...Volunteer in Cardiac Stress Lab...Works with youth baseball camps...Make A Wish volunteer 2005...Relay for Life volunteer 2006...Renovated homeless shelter 2006...Special Olympics 2003...Worked as certified nurse assistant in summer 2006.
Cody Henriksen, Augustana, Wrestling, Arlington, S.D. - NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship recipient...Holds a 3.74 GPA in biology and philosophy...2004-2005, 2005-06 and 2006-07 All-North Central Conference Teams...2004-2005 North Central Conference Wrestler of the Week...2005-2006 Three Time North Central Conference Wrestler of the Week...2003-2004 5th at Regions...2004-2005 2nd at Regions, 6th at Nationals-165 lbs....2005-2006 4th at Regions, 4th at Nationals-165 lbs....2006-2007 2nd at Regions, 3rd at Nationals-174 lbs....Augustana Wrestling Team Captain for both junior and senior seasons of his career...Career record of 73-33 (37-12 in duals) with 16 pins...Finished 2nd in the NCC in 2005 and third in both 2006 and 2007...2002 Augustana Y.T. Johnson Science Day Scholarship...2004 Inducted into Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society...2006 South Dakota Academy of Science Outstanding Undergraduate Research Poster Award...2007 Inducted into Pinnacle National Honor Society...Named to Academic Dean's List 8 of 10 semesters...2004 NCAA DII Academic All-American Honorable Mention...Three-time NCAA DII Academic All-American First Team (2005, 2006, 2007)...Member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes...Student Mentor-Met with an elementary school student to play games, read books, and talked about important issues...Volunteer at Wrestling Camps-Helped youth and high school wrestlers enhance their skills and techniques...Volunteer at Children's Care Hospital and School-Played games with mentally handicapped children and helped their supervisors take them on field trips...New Student Orientation Leader-Helped new students become acquainted with one another, get accustomed to the college environment, and adjust to a new place...Participant at Community Service Day-Team got together yearly to meet with local community leaders to help out the city of Sioux Falls.
Matt Hockett, Minnesota Duluth, Basketball, McFarland, Wis. - Maintains a 3.37 cumulative grade point average as a physical education major...Named to the College of Education and Human Service Professions Dean's list eight of a possible nine semesters...Has been a member of the NCC Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of the past three seasons...Was the men's basketball representative on UMD's Athletic Academic Support Center List for compiling the best grade point average of any Bulldog during the 2004-05 school year...This past winter, the fifth-year senior posted career highs for both scoring (5.4 points per game) and rebounds (4.8 RPG) while serving as the Bulldogs' sixth man and inspirational leader...Scored a career-high 17 points against Nebraska-Omaha off the bench on 2/22/07...The 2006-07 team co-captain received court time in all 58 games over the past two years.
Matt Murphy, South Dakota, Football, Rapid City, S.D. - Has a 3.899 grade point average in business and already has received admission into the USD School of Law...Was a defensive stalwart on USD's nationally-ranked football team which had a 9-4 record, advanced to the DII playoffs for the first time in 20 years and finished the season ranked 13th in the country...Criminal justice minor...Was a second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in fall 2006 and twice was named to the NCC Commissioners Academic Football Honor Roll....Was an Academic All-NCC selection for two consecutive years (2005, 2006)...A team captain for the Coyote football team, he recorded 16 tackles, including six solo stops, four tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks for the top-ranked defense in the NCC in 2006...Led by Murphy, the Coyote defense limited opponents to 73.8 yards rushing, which ranked fifth nationally...Received the USD Bulldog Award for work and dedication...Started 19 games and played in 45 during his career at USD, in which time the Coyotes had a 32-14 overall record and won an NCC title in 2005...Career numbers include 51 career tackles, six quarterback sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble...Graduated Magna Cum Laude in December 2006, was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma (business honor society), and has received academic scholarships from both the USD business and law schools...Was involved in community service as a student-athlete, including serving with the Vermillion Cleanup Day, the Punt, Pass and Kick competition as well as helping coordinate a field day for Jolly Elementary in Vermillion, S.D....Two-time participant in the Coyotepoly Food Drive, Murphy also participated in the Dance Marathon fundraiser for charity.
JD Naig, Nebraska-Omaha, Wrestling, Emmetsburg, Iowa - Three-time NCAA Division II champion (2005, 2006, 2007)...Four-time All-American...16-1 career record in four National tournaments...2007 North Central Conference Wrestler of the Year...Outstanding Wrestler at the 2007 NCAA II National Championships...Finished the 2006-07 season with a 42-7 record...UNO Wrestler of the Year...Of his 42 wins this season, Naig scored bonus points in 24 of them (15 falls, nine major decisions)...Finished his career with a 140-26 mark, the fourth-best in UNO history...Three-time NCAA II North Region champion...NCC Wrestler of the Week five times during the 2006-07 season...Did not lose to a Division II wrestler in his final three seasons...Champion of 14 tournaments throughout his career...3.3 cumulative GPA in Pre-Chiropractic...Dean's List 4 times...2006-07 UNO Scholar Athlete Award...2-time NWCA Academic All American...NCC Commissioners Academic Honor Roll...Community Service includes working youth and high school wrestling clinics, visiting hospitals and care centers during the holidays, participation in campus wide canned food drive, faculty staff pancake feed, reading to elementary schools, serving meals to the homeless, participated in the Heartland of America Drug free walk...Participated in numerous Champs/LifeSkills personal development and career-related seminars...Remde Academic Scholarship recipient.
Adam Sullivan, St. Cloud State, Basketball, Green Bay, Wis. - 3.50 grade point average in marketing...Will graduate in May 2007...Will be employed by Wells Fargo upon graduation...Three-year member and starter of the Husky basketball team...Two-time All-North Central Conference team pick...Two-time Academic All-North Central Conference team member...Two-time NCC Commissioner¹s Honor Roll...Team captain...Averaged 11.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during the 2006-07 season...Shot a team high 39.3 percent from three-point range...Ranks sixth on the all-time three-point field goals made chart with 178...Finished his career with 891 points, 309 rebounds, 143 assists, 178 three-point baskets, and a career three-point shooting average of .411...Scored a career high 30 points against UMD on January 20, 2007...Member of back-to-back Husky teams that advanced to the NCAA Division II North Central Region tournament...Community activities include Husky Hot Shots (Saturday morning youth basketball clinic), South, Rocori, and Sauk Rapids junior high clinics that involve reading and basketball.
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