The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) has announced nominees for some of the top honors in the NAIA, including the A.O. Duer Award, the Emil S. Liston Award, Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award and the NAIA Coach of Character Award.

A.O. Duer Award:

The male nominee for the A.O. Duer Award from the GPAC is Craig Bruinsma a member of the Northwestern College football team.

The A.O. Duer Scholarship Award is named in honor of the NAIA’s former executive secretary who served the association for 26 years. This award has been annually presented since 1967 to a male and female student-athlete completing their junior season in any sport who has excelled in scholarship, character, and citizenship..

The female nominee for the A.O. Duer is Marissa DeWispelare a member of the Doane Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor track teams.

Holly Hild a women’s basketball player from Hastings College is the GPAC female nominee for the NAIA Emil S. Liston Award.

The Liston Award is named in honor for the NAIA’s first executive secretary and the prime mover behind the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Tournament. The award has been presented annually since 1950 to one junior men’s and one junior women’s basketball student-athlete who has shown high athletic and scholastic achievement.

Chandler Folkerts a junior basketball player from Concordia University is the GPAC male nominee for the NAIA Emil S. Liston Award.

Natasha Hongsermeier, a Morningside women’s tennis player from Phillips, Nebraska, is the GPAC nominee for the Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award.

Tom Maxon of Morningside is the GPAC nominee for the NAIA Coach of Character Award. This award recognizes a head coach who is dedicated to deliberately teaching character through sport.

Maxon is the head men’s and women’s soccer coach at Morningside’s.

The national winners will be announced during the 2016 NAIA Awards Day.