SUWANEE, Ga. – Bethel University women’s track & field student-athlete Annessa Ihde is among 20 individuals from around NCAA Division III to be recognized as regional winners of the third annual Division III Commissioner’s Association (DIIICA) Student-Athlete of the Year awards, the organization announced on Thursday.
Ihde earned her spot on the ballot as one of the MIAC's nominees for the DIIICA awards earlier this month. Each of the regional winners will advance to the national ballot for consideration for 2023-24 DIIICA Men’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year and Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year, presented by Chi Alpha Sigma.
Ihde (Appleton, Wis. | North) graduated from Bethel in the spring with a 4.00 grade-point average and degrees in international relations and Spanish with a minor in creative writing. She was a First Team All-America honoree after placing seventh in the 800-meter run at the 2024 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. Ihde was a three-time NCAA Championship qualifier in the 800-meter and was on the 4x400-meter relay squad that qualified for the 2024 and 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She was also a seven-time All-MIAC honoree in the indoor season and a four-time All-Conference honoree in outdoor competition.
Off the track, Ihde was a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree who earned five MIAC Elite 22 honors between the indoor and outdoor seasons. At the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, Ihde was also named recipient of the Elite 90 Award. Ihde's service and leadership opportunities have included interning at a local nonprofit Jonathan House that provides housing for people seeking asylum in the United States. In 2022, she served as a legal services intern at Arrive Ministries, a local nonprofit offering social and legal services to newly arrived immigrants and refugees.
“Competing as a Division III athlete not only allowed me to pursue opportunities but encouraged me to invest in my community and embrace all kinds of training,” Ihde said. “Training has taught me to be joyful and grateful in the face of fear and failure. It has taught me how to say yes to opportunities that might intimidate me, but ultimately push me to grow.”
Conferences were permitted to submit two nominations for each award if at least one of the nominations was an international student/ethnic minority. Graduating seniors were the only student-athletes eligible for this award.
Selection criteria for the awards included considerations based on academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership and a personal statement submitted by each nominee.
Voting was conducted by the commissioners within each of the ten regions, with the top male and female honoree recognized as finalists for the Awards Committee to select the Division III Commissioner’s Association Men’s Sport and Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year.
This is the first year that Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society has been the presenting sponsor for the DIIICA awards. More than 200 of the 360-plus active Chi Alpha Sigma chapters nationwide are NCAA Division III institutions, including all 13 MIAC institutions.
The two national winners of the DIIICA awards will be announced later this month.
DIIICA REGIONAL STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Region I
Men's Sport Jack Mulligan, Massachusetts Maritime (Football) – MASCAC
Women's Sport Mackenzie Dore, Husson University (Softball) – NAC
Region II
Men's Sport Arjun Asokumar, University of Chicago (Tennis) – UAA
Women's Sport Hannah Kassaie, Case Western Reserve University (Tennis) – UAA
Region III
Men's Sport Artem Buzoverya, Hobart College (Ice Hockey) – Liberty
Women's Sport Madi Morton, Elmira College (Ice Hockey) – Empire 8
Region IV
Men's Sport Bruno Andino, Stevens Inst. of Technology (Soccer) – MAC Freedom
Women's Sport Laura Matthews, Stevens Inst. of Technology (Track & Field) – MAC Freedom
Region V
Men's Sport Vinny DeAngelo, Swarthmore College (Basketball) – Centennial
Women's Sport Chandler Eddleton, Marymount (Va.) Univ. (Basketball/Track & Field) – Atlantic East
Region VI
Men's Sport Rishi Charan Shankar, Univ. of Mary Washington (Tennis) – Coast-to-Coast
Women's Sport Meghan Reed, Salisbury University (Softball) – Coast-to-Coast
Region VII
Men's Sport Robert Coury, Carnegie Mellon University (Football) – PAC
Women's Sport Avery Campbell, Albion College (Soccer/Track & Field) – MIAA
Region VIII
Men's Sport Anthony Fitzgerald, Wheaton (Ill.) College (Swimming) – CCIW
Women's Sport Lexi Onsrud, Illinois Wesleyan University (Golf) – CCIW
Region IX
Men's Sport Max Cleveland, Simpson College (Track & Field) – ARC
Women's Sport Annessa Ihde, Bethel (Minn.) University (Track & Field) – MIAC
Region X
Men's Sport James Settles, Colorado College (Cross Country/Track & Field) – SCAC
Women's Sport Alexandra Turvey, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Swimming) – SCIAC
ABOUT THE DIIICA
The Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) officially became a stand-alone organization in January 1992. The focal point of the DIIICA is for the membership to learn together and share with each other. Division III commissioners are unique in what they do and need each other to grow. In order to achieve this goal, the Association works closely with affiliated organizations such as the NCAA, NACDA, NADIIIAA, NACWAA, and the Division III Independents as well. The blending of those groups creates a national synergy that allows all memberships to work in concert to improve communications and ultimately, service student-athletes.
ABOUT CHI ALPHA SIGMA
Chi Alpha Sigma is the first, and only, nonprofit organization that was established to recognize four-year college student-athletes who excel both on and off the field of competition. Founded in 1996 by then DePauw University head football coach, Nick Mourouzis, Chi Alpha Sigma continues to provide outstanding student-athletes with an opportunity to become connected within a fraternal association that aligns their educational and athletic successes for a lifetime.