CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced today that former Nebraska Wesleyan track & field student-athlete Bella Hogue has been named the A-R-C Johanna Olson Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2023-24 academic year, in the 24th year of the award. The award, the highest individual honor from the conference, goes to an alumnus from the previous academic year. 
 
"Bella's successes exemplify the result of a holistic educational approach, where athletics are woven into the collegiate experience and each person is seen as a valuable contribution to the campus atmosphere," said Marie Stroman, A-R-C Commissioner. "Although her worth is not defined by her academic and athletic achievements, she is truly deserving of the A-R-C's highest honor for all of her accomplishments in her time at Nebraska Wesleyan University."
 
Hogue is a three-time national champion and an eight-time All-American. She holds six Nebraska Wesleyan track & field records and two A-R-C championship records for her successful career. 
 
In the classroom, the communication studies major and marketing minor held a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. In 2022, Hogue was the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete National Scholar Track Athlete of the Year. She graduated in 2024 earning Highest Distinction, and was one of only nine students from her graduating class to earn this honor. She was named to the College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American First-Team in 2023 and 2024. She is a six-time Nebraska Wesleyan Dean's List honoree. 
 
In leadership and community service roles, Hogue served as an academic tutor for the Karen Society. She was a prospective student leader for NWU track and field and was a transfer student representative for three years. She volunteered at the Nebraska Wesleyan high school track meets and had the privilege to speak at the Black and Gold Donor Event in 2023. 
 
Hogue joins Reagan Janzen (2021-22), Aspen Rolfes (2020-21), Andy Valquez (2019-20), and Elizabeth Jones (2018-29) as previous Nebraska Wesleyan student-athletes to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 
 
What They Say About Bella Hogue
Derrick McKenzie, Nebraska Wesleyan University Director of Cross Country and Track & Field: “More than her athletic and academic prowess, Hogue is one of the best leaders I have ever worked with. Her empathy for others, communication skills and attention to simply doing the right thing, make her a model student-athlete. Hogue’s leadership is evident in all that she does. She set the tone at practice and showed everyone what it takes to excel as a human being. I am 100% convinced that Hogue elevated every single person in our program to be not only the athlete they needed to be, but the person they were destined to be.” 
 
Karla Kay Jensen, Ph.D., Professor of Communication Studies: Without reservation, I most strongly recommend Hogue as the A-R-C Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She is the ideal recipient of this award because her academics and especially her relationships are just as valuable to Hogue as her athletics. Having taught both graduate and undergraduate students for 35 years, I am especially confident in saying that Hogue is among the top 1% of all students I’ve had the pleasure of teaching.”
 
Bella Hogue: “1,095 days. Of my roughly 8,100 days of life, I spent 1,095 of them at Nebraska Wesleyan. Looking back, I recall many days like they were yesterday. Some days I remember being filled with excitement and anticipation for success on the track or in the classroom, while others were just like any other day. However, one thing is for certain: the most incredible part about being a student-athlete at Nebraska Wesleyan was not the championships, the records, the accolades, the test scores, the degrees, or the achievements; the most impactful part of the 1,095 days I spent at Nebraska Wesleyan while combining athletic participation with the pursuit of my academic degree was the love I felt for simply being there.”
 
Finalists for the 2023-24 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year were Heather Boeckenstedt of Coe and Aubrie Fisher of Wartburg. 
 
The Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year is selected among the finalists by a vote of the A-R-C Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR). 
 
About the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards
The American Rivers Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were first presented in December 2001 for the 2000-01 academic year. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete shall have graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the academic year for which the award is given. The nominee must have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment and achievement in a varsity sport, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and show evidence of scholarly achievements, community service involvement and leadership. Both awards were named originally for former Wartburg College and Conference sports information director Duane Schroeder in May 2002. The women’s award was renamed in 2013 for former Luther College student-athlete Johanna Olson - the inaugural winner of the women’s award - who lost a courageous battle with cancer in January 2013. 
 
About Johanna Olson
The American Rivers Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is named in honor of the late Johanna Olson, a former cross country and track & field student-athlete at Luther College who was the inaugural recipient of the award. Olson battled brain cancer for over 15 years before her fight ended on January 3, 2013 at age 33. She was originally diagnosed with a brain tumor as a college freshman in 1997 but went on to win the 2000 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship three years to the day after her initial brain surgery. In addition to the national title in cross country, she won three Conference Individual Championships and three Conference Most Valuable Runner awards (1999, 2000, 2001). In track and field, she was the 2001 Conference Most Valuable Performer, earning All-America honors in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs. Olson was also a member of the 2001 distance medley relay team that captured the indoor national title. She was named the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) regional and national Athlete of the Year in both cross country and track and field in 2000-01. In 1991, Olson was presented the Honda Awards Inspirational Athlete of the Year after returning from radiation treatments to compete at the national level.