BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Minnesota State's Amanda Montplaisir was voted by the league coaches as the winner of the NSIC Women's Cross Country Outstanding Senior of the Year Award.  A native of Buffalo, Minn., Montplaisir graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 grade point average in dietetics and a minor in sports medicine. She was presented the award following the NSIC Cross Country Championships, which took place on Saturday, November 5 in Wayne, Nebraska. 
 
The "NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year Award" is presented to a NSIC women's cross country student-athlete who participates at their institution for four years and is academically superior while making a positive contribution to their team and the University. The NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year award was initiated in 2020-21 to honor an outstanding senior that exemplifies the attributes of the model NSIC student-athlete.
 
Montplaisir, a graduate of Buffalo High School, is a 14-time All-NSIC performer in cross country and track and field. She was the named to the first team All-Region Cross Country team in 2021 and registered an 11th-place finish at 2021 NSIC Championship with a time of 22:19.60.
 
In the classroom, Montplaisir has been named to the Dean's List all eight semesters of her undergraduate education and a NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic Award recipient. She is pursuing her master's degree in Exercise Physiology.

In the community, Montplaisir has been involved in a variety of community engagement events which have included: Nutrition Tabling Event; University Dining Center Server; Backpack Food Program; MNSU Campus Kitchen; COVID Relief Food Drive; Free Farmer's Market; Kiwanis Holiday Lights;  MNSU Campus Cupboard and with the Mankato Marathon. 

"Amanda has been an asset to our program since her freshman year. She is one of the hardest working and dedicated athletes that I have coached in my 22 years not just as an athlete, but in the classroom and volunteering on campus and in the community. Her work ethic and leadership are something that her teammates and I can rely on. She is a leader on our team both on and off the cross country course and track," said Jen Blue, Minnesota State's head coach. 

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men's league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women's league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA's three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.
 

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