Bemidji State earns 2010-11 NSIC Sportsmanship Award

BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Commissioner Butch Raymond presented Bemidji State University Director
of Athletics Dr. Rick Goeb with the league’s 2011-11 Sportsmanship Award July 13 at the NSIC’s annual Hall of Fame banquet. The honor marks the second time in three years BSU has been selected for the award.

Each year, the award recipient is selected by a vote of NSIC head coaches and a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) member based on the sportsmanship of players, fans, staff and coaches from each institution.
“This is a tremendous honor for our athletic department. Our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans are quickly developing a reputation for consistently exhibiting respect, civility, fairness and honesty in competition,” commented Goeb. “We are very proud of our coaches
for modeling this behavior on a day-to-day basis and instilling this attitude in our student-athletes. We know that whether our teams are on
the road or competing in our own venues, they represent the university well.”

“The NSIC is very excited about the competitive nature of our league, but just as important is the environment that our student-athletes compete in,” said Raymond. “The NSIC Sportsmanship Award was developed to honor a school that consistently demonstrates a positive environment. Due to the fact that the award is selected by our head coaches and SAAC, it becomes all the more meaningful.”

Bemidji State is one of just three institutions to be bestowed with this distinct honor. Since its inception in 2008 only Northern State University
(2008), Bemidji State (2009-2001) and University of Mary (2010) have been selected to receive the award.

Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota’s lake district, occupies a beautiful campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling
approximately 5,000 students annually, the University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and 14 graduate programs encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU sponsors 15 sport programs with affiliation to the NSIC and NCAA Division II while its men’s and women’s hockey programs are members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and compete within the NCAA’s Division I ranks. The University is a member of the Minnesota State College and Universities System and has a faculty and staff of nearly 600.

University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global/multicultural understanding.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is a 14-team NCAA Division II conference with member institution hailing from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. Headquartered in Burnsville, Minn., the NSIC is home to nine team national championships since 2006.