NSIC Honors Announced

The NSIC Field Event Athlete of the Year Award goes to Bemidji State’s All-American thrower Joe Remitz (Sr., North Branch, MN) who claimed top prize and an NSIC record in the shot put as he added a 35-pound weight throw crown to his resume. His best throw of 60' 11.25" stands as a new BSU record, a new conference record, and moves him up three spots to ninth on the NCAA Division II honor roll for the indoor season, almost assuring him of a spot in the weight throw the national meet in two weeks.

NSIC Men’s Track Athlete of the Year:
Northern State’s Jake Hamik finished the championship off with a second place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 22.54 seconds. It's his best time in the event this season as well as the second best time in the NSIC. Hamik then continued his impressive run with a victory in the 400 meters in 49.46 seconds, which tops his previous best of 49.74s. Hamik’s final individual event of the day was the 55 meter hurdles. He finished second in the event with a time of 7.68 seconds. His season best time of 7.63 is a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Nationals.

NSIC Men’s New-comer of the Year:
University of Mary’s Tyler Zacher (Fr., Beulah, ND) earned the NSIC Men’s Newcomer of the Year honors for his effort in the triple jump and the long jump. Zacher won the triple jump, bounding 47' 04.5", which is a provisional qualifying distance for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. He took fourth in the long jump, leaping 22' 9.25".

NSIC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year:
Bemidji State’s Sheena Devine (Sr., North Branch, MN) added a shot put crown to the hammer throw championship she garnered in day one of competition. She threw 51' 7.75", breaking her own school record in the event and shattering an 18-year-old NSIC mark by more than six feet. The throw also ranks as the second-longest mark in the nation this season, just a half an inch shy of the longest, and automatically qualifies her for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Mankato, MN March 14-17.

NSIC Women’s Track Athlete of the Year:
MSU Moorhead’s Ashley Roemer (Jr., Maple Lake, MN) won four events in record-setting time at 2008 NSIC Indoor Championships. Roemer set new individual marks in the 800 meters (2:16.33) and pentathlon (3,517), and was a member of the 4 X 400 relay (3:55.64) and the distance medley relay (12:14.57).

NSIC Women’s NEW-COMER of the Year:
MSU Moorhead’s Anna VanWechel (Fr., Fergus Falls, MN) won the women’s mile in a time of 5:10.55 while placing second in the 5000 meters(18:56.28) and third in the 1000 meters (3:04.82). She was also a part of the distance medley that finished first in a time of 12:14.57 (a new NSIC record).

NSIC men’s & Women’s Coach of the Year:
University of Mary Head Coach Mike Thorson won his second NSIC Coach of the Year award on the women’s side and first on the men’s this season. Thorson is in his 15th season as the head coach at U-Mary and had won winning 34 conference championships, five regional cross country titles, crowned 297 All-Americans, 62 Academic All-Americans and 29 individual national champions coming into the season.