BURNSVILLE, Minn. --- Minnesota State senior Alex Goettl has been named the NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for football.

A native of North Mankato, Minn., Goettl is one of 12 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He has also been named to the NSIC All-Academic Team three times and claimed All-NSIC First Team honors in 2018 and All-NSIC Second Team honors in 2019. Goettl owns a 3.93 GPA in biomedical sciences and received CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in 2018.

Goettl joins Amber Kral (2019 - SB), Maggie Knier (S&D 2017-18 & 2018-19) and Erica Ellstrom (S&D  2016-17) as the only NSIC Elite 18 Award winners from MSU.

As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration during the 2016-17 academic year, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The NSIC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC's 18 Championships.

Minnesota State will continue its season on Saturday, Dec. 7, as it hosts Texas A&M-Commerce in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

Selection Criteria
1. Academically the student-athlete has achieved at least a sophomore status as defined by his or her own institution.

2. Athletically the student-athlete is in his or her second year of competition at his or her current institution.

3. Athletically the student-athlete is an active member on the roster and a member of the designated squad size for the sport at the championship site.

4. A student-athlete may win the award only once per academic year even if she or he participates in more than one sport.

5. Grade point average is based on the cumulative grade point average at the time of nomination as calculated by each institution. Grade point average calculations will be based on a 4.00 scale and will be reported to two decimal places.

6. In the event of a tie based on grade point average, the award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest total number of credit hours earned.

7. If a tie still exists after looking at the total number of credit hours earned, all student-athletes who are tied shall be presented with the NSIC Elite 18 Award.

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