Sioux City, Iowa – The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is proud to announce those chosen as the 2019 nominees for 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.
“Receiving and voting on all the nominees for these awards is one of most exciting things we do as a conference each year,” said GPAC Commissioner Corey Westra. “All of our nominees and their accomplishments were impressive and picking the winners in each category as a conference was no easy task. These individuals will be strong candidates on the NAIA national level as they represent the very best of the GPAC.”
The national winners will be named during the NAIA National Awards Day on September 15, 2019. The NAIA winners will be recognized as part of the NAIA National Awards Luncheon at the NAIA National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, next March.
A.O. Duer Award
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.
Female Nominee: Breanna Harthoorn, Northwestern College
The female nominee for the A.O. Duer Award is Breanna Harthoorn, a member of the Northwestern College Cross Country Team.
Harthoorn, from Norfolk, Nebraska, is majoring in Elementary Education with a 3.90 GPA.
“Breanna is a natural leader, she is the first to practice and gives 100% during every workout,” said Northwestern Cross Country Coach Scott Bahrke. “Her peers have voted her team captain the last three years; they follow her example and seek her out for advice.”
“She loves children and is eager to impact as many lives as she possibly can,” said Tonya Moore-Huss, Education Professor at Northwestern. “Growing up in Africa with her family as missionaries, she has a fabulous understanding of how diverse the world is, and she is ready to take on whatever challenge comes her way.”
Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award
Nominee: Ema Altena, Dordt University
Ema Altena, a 2019 graduate of Dordt College (now University) and former volleyball player for the Defenders from Sioux Center, Iowa, is the GPAC nominee for the Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award. This award is presented annually to an NAIA Student-Athlete who embodies the NAIA Champions of Character initiative and the five core values of respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership, and sportsmanship.
Altena graduated in May with degrees in Exercise Science and Psychology with a 3.73 GPA.
During her time at Dordt she has been active with Bridge of Hope Church on their Youth Leadership Team, worked with Royal Family Kids Camp of Northwest Iowa as a camp guide, and has been active with various youth volleyball camps.
“Ema has lived a life that is deep and meaningful, reflecting the five core values of the NAIA,” said Chad Hanson, Head Volleyball Coach at Dordt. “She lives a life where she is consistent in showing all of the character values even if no one is watching.”
“She is an excellent role model, not only to campers, but to all of our female volunteers,” said Jennifer Bullock, Director of Royal Family Kids Camp. “She possesses wisdom and maturity and stands out as a natural leader, both by word and example.”
On the volleyball court she was a four-time GPAC first team All-Conference selection. Twice she was a first-team NAIA All-American. She was a member of two NAIA National Runner-Up teams and an Elite Eight team while at Dordt.
NAIA Coach of Character Award
Nominee: Rik Dahl, Northwestern College
Rik Dahl from Northwestern College 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.
Dahl is the head wrestling coach at Northwestern and is widely respected by other schools in the GPAC and the NAIA. Coach Dahl’s teams exemplify the NAIA Champions of Character program. The 2009 and 2011 Northwestern Wrestling teams won the Character Award at the NAIA National Wrestling Championships.
“He is someone who is trusted by everyone he comes into contact with,” said Northwestern Baseball Coach Brian Wede. “Development of his athletes is very important to him and he does this through showing high integrity and character.”
Every third year Dahl takes several members of the wrestling team to the Czech Republic for an educational and competitive experience. Along with Northwestern Men’s Basketball Coach Kris Korver, Dahl helped form “Monday Morning for Men” at the college. The group meets for 30 minutes every Monday to have conversations about what it takes to be a quality husband and father. Each week anywhere from 60-120 men show up for the meetings. He is also the Past President of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches Association.
The national winners will be announced during the 2019 NAIA Awards Day on September 15.
