Winona, Minn.-
Winona State student-athletes
Alison Nowak (Softball, Sr.) and
Nick Pridgeon (Football, Gr.) represented
Warrior athletics in the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference prestigious
2020 Dr. William Britton and
Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete award process.
Each of the 16 member schools within the
NSIC selected one male and one female student-athlete as representatives and candidates for the end-of-year honor. For the complete NSIC release,
please visit this link. The 32 student-athletes nominated for the NSIC's two most prestigious awards (Britton/Kelly) are recognized as the
NSIC Male and
Female Honor Student-Athletes-of-the-Year at their respective institutions.
Alison Nowak was off to an amazing start at the plate in 2020 before the season was canceled in mid-March, due to COVID-19. In 51 at-bats,
Nowak was hitting .510 on the year with a team-leading 11 doubles. The senior from New Berlin, Wisconsin had cracked three home runs, drove in 12 runs, and collected 46 total bases.
Nowak's 61 RBI's in her 2019 junior season was No. 4 all-time in Warrior history, while her 2017 season .425 batting average was No. 7 all-time. Last spring,
Nowak was named as a
Daktronics/D2SIDA/DIICCA First Team All-American,
Second Team NFCA All-American, and was among 12 Warriors named to the
2020 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic With Distinction Award winner this past January.
WSU was 13-6 overall in 2020 - and riding a four-game winning steak - when NCAA spring sports were discontinued due to the pandemic.
Nick Pridgeon concluded the 2019-20 campaign among the NSIC elite in several categories. The Wauwatosa, Wisconsin product was tabbed as the
2019 NSIC South Preseason Defensive Player-of-the-Year, and was a
NSIC All-Academic selection multiple years, beginning with his 2016 season. Majoring in criminal justice,
Pridgeon was an
Honorable Mention All-NSIC selection in 2016,
Second Team in 2017, and was named to the
All-NSIC Southern Division First Team this past fall. In twelve contests,
Pridgeon collected 71 total tackles, including 37 solo stops. He also had a pair of interceptions, led the team in Tackles for Loss (TFL) with 12, and forced two fumbles.
Winona State concluded their 8-4 season in the Mineral Water Bowl, falling to the
University of Nebraska-Kearny, 50-33.
For more on Winona State University athletics, be sure to check out
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
