Nate Cunningham of Wayne State College was honored before Wednesday's NSIC Baseball Tournament opening round game vs. St. Cloud State in Bismarck, North Dakota with the NSIC Elite 18 Award given to the top scholar athlete at a conference championship event.  Cunningham is the second Wildcat to receive the honor, joining Aaron Ras who was a two-time winner of the award in 2019 and 2020.
            Cunningham, a sophomore infielder from Elkhorn (Elkhorn North HS), carries a 4.00 grade point average majoring in business finance and international business.  On the field this season, Cunningham has appeared in six games with one start at shortstop and is batting .333 with four hits in 12 at bats.  He went 3 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 16-8 win at Winona State.  Last season as a freshman he played in 26 games with 13 starts in the Wildcat infield and hit .224 with two doubles and two RBI and three multi-hit games. 
            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.
            The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in 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 27 team national championships and crowned 113 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.