University of Minnesota Duluth junior outside hitter Makenzie Morgen has been selected the 2017 NSIC Elite 18 Award winner for volleyball. The Appleton, Wis., native becomes the third  Bulldog to earn the Elite 18 Award this season as she joins seniors Grant Pulver (men's cross country) and Jason Balts (volleyball).
 
Morgen, a biology major that holds a 4.00 culmulative grade point average sits third on the team in kills/per set with 3.22 and second in digs per set at 3.06. She is on pace at become the first Bulldog to average at least 3.00 kills per set and 3.00 digs per set since Kate Lange accomplished that feat in 2011. Morgen also leads the club in service aces with 38, the most since 2011 and has compiled 10 double-doubles on the season. She also set collegiate highs in kills (27) and digs (24) in the regular season finale at Wayne State. The 2017 NSIC second team selection earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors this fall as well.
 
As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration, 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 for football is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating on an NSIC Championship team.