BURNSVILLE, MN – University of Mary women's soccer goalkeeper Madisyn Waltman and wrestler Matthew Kaylor are UMary's 2022-23 Northern Sun Honor Student-Athlete Award winners for their combination of academic excellence, involvement in the campus community and athletic success.  
 
A 2023 Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Mary with degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education, Waltman finished with a 3.91 grade point average. The native of Sioux Falls, SD, is an NSIC Myles brand All-Academic with Distinction Award recipient, a 3-time member of the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence,  and a 2-time NSIC Honor Scholar-Athlete of the Year honoree for UMary who also was named a 2022 CSC Academic All-District Soccer Award recipient, earned 2023 North Dakota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education – Outstanding Student in Elementary Education honors and received University of Mary Dean's List honors every semester. Winner of a University of Mary Presidential Leadership Award and a National Catholic College Graduate Honor Society – Kappa Gamma Pi Honorary Member, Waltman served as a Bible Study leader and chaplain for the women's soccer team, coordinated a mission trip for Belcourt Mission to St. Anne's Mission School with classmates and teammates and participated in a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) mission trip to Brazil with classmates and college students from across the country. A 3-year team captain for the Marauders, she was a 3-time All-Northern Sun performer on the pitch. Waltman is the UMary career record-holder for shutouts (34) and single-season record-holder for lowest goals allowed average (0.53). An NSIC Player of the Week winner, Waltman led the Marauders to four straight NSIC tournament appearances.
 
A senior criminal justice major with a 3.67 grade point average from Bismarck, ND, Kaylor just completed his junior year of competition and is a 2-time NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence selection, a 2021 Athletic Directors Association Award winner, a 2022 NWCA Division II Academic All-American and a seven-time member of the UMary Dean's List. Kaylor assists with athletic department event preparation and participated  in the 2022 Designer Genes Walk for Down Syndrome, the 2021 & 2023 Special Olympics North Dakota State Bowling Championships, Sporting Chance (fishing) and coaches with the Pursuit Wrestling Club. A 2023 NCAA Division II All-American after placing 5^th at 197, he placed 3^rd at both the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Division II Super Region V tournaments to twice qualify for the NCAA championships.                                                   
               
Waltman and Kaylor are UMary's nominees for the Northern Sun's Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award the 2023 Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award, respectively. The Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence, in its 39th year, recognizes the NSIC's top male student-athlete and the Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award, in its 38th year, is presented to the NSIC's top female student-athlete. 
 
The member institutions of the NSIC nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the Britton and Kelly Awards. The nominees must meet the following criteria: a grade point average of 3.5 or better (on a 4.0 scale); evidence of academic excellence beyond the minimum grade point average (scholarship prizes and other academic recognition), evidence of participation in the life of the institution, and evidence of participation in at least two-thirds of the varsity events of the individual's primary sport. The award is voted on by the NSIC Faculty Athletic Representatives.
 
The 32 student-athletes nominated for the NSIC's two most prestigious awards are recognized as NSIC Male and Female Honor Student-Athletes of the Year at their respective institutions.
 
The Britton Award was created in 1985 in honor of Dr. William Britton, a longtime faculty representative at Bemidji State University who served on the Athletic Board of Control of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference for 25 years. Britton retired from BSU in 1982 and passed away in March of 2019.
 
The Kelly Award is named in honor of Willis R. Kelly, an associate professor of physical education at the University of Minnesota-Morris. A member of the NSIC Hall of Fame, Kelly also coordinated the Minnesota-Morris Physical Education Department from 1970-87. She became the first director of women's intercollegiate athletics at Minnesota-Morris in 1976 and was later promoted to athletics director for the whole department. Kelly passed away in 1988.
 
Minnesota State University, Mankato's Amanda Montplaisir is the NSIC's 2023 Kelly Award recipient. Winona State University's Mitch Snitker received the 2023 Britton Award.
 
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