CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced today that former Nebraska Wesleyan University track & field student-athlete Avery Decker has been named the A-R-C Johanna Olson Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2024-25 academic year, in the 25th year of the award. The award, the highest individual honor from the conference, goes to an alumnus from the previous academic year. 
 
“Avery’s achievements reflect the harmony of intellect, discipline, and purpose that define the Division III student-athlete experience," said Marie Stroman, A-R-C Commissioner. "Her ability to excel at the highest levels athletically while pursuing rigorous academic and professional goals speaks to an uncommon level of focus and resilience—qualities that embody the true spirit of this."
 
Decker is an NCAA Division III national champion in the javelin. Her consistent effort improved annually as she improved each season nationally. She won the conference javelin title three times (2023-2025) and is the Nebraska Wesleyan school record holder in the javelin (48.70 meters). Additionally, she holds the American Rivers Conference Championship record in the javelin (48.43 meters). 
 
In the classroom, the biology major, with minors in chemistry and modern language literacy: Spanish, held a cumulative grade point average of 3.741 during her undergraduate studies. Decker is earning her master's in business administration and currently holds a 4.00 GPA. She earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors on three occasions, capping it with Academic All-American honors in 2025. She was a member of Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society and was a three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree. 
 
In leadership and community service roles, Decker assisted at Hope’s Kitchen, with Special Olympics, Tabitha Meals on Wheels, and with the Alzheimer’s Association. Additionally, she assisted with philanthropic events with Delta Zeta Sorority and Huge-NWU Honor Society campus clean-ups. She was actively part of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). 
 
Decker is the fifth Prairie Wolf to earn Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year since Nebraska Wesleyan joined the A-R-C in 2016. 
 
What They Say About Avery Decker
Derrick McKenzie, Nebraska Wesleyan University Director of Cross Country and Track & Field: “More than her domination in the javelin and her academic excellence, Avery is a natural when it comes to leadership. Her ability to relate to all athletes, the best in the program or those that are developmental, is one of her best qualities. Avery set the tone at practice and showed everyone what it takes to excel as a human being. I am 100% convinced that Avery Decker 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.”

Kaitlin Weskamp, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Nebraska Wesleyan University: "Academically, Avery is a hard worker and showed considerable growth over the two years I had her as a student. Biochemistry is one of the first upper-level biology or chemistry courses that these students take, and, like many of her peers, Avery was taken by surprise by the first biochemistry exam. However, instead of giving up or lowering her expectations, she increased her engagement during class, asked more questions, and devoted more time to the subject matter, all of which resulted in a positive trend in her exam performances throughout the remainder of the semester. I was proud to watch her extend what she learned that semester to future, more challenging courses, and I believe this speaks volumes about Avery's commitment to her studies. With the approach to learning and skills developed in undergrad, I believe she is well equipped to continue her education in health care."

Avery Decker: "The student-athlete mindset is a powerful combination of ambition, discipline, and resilience; demanding excellence in two vastly unique disciplines, simultaneously. To the incoming first-year student, this sounds awfully daunting and the two often hold very different weights, undoubtedly impacting performance in the classroom or in competition. I always aimed to be a student first and a high-achieving athlete second. I quickly came to realize, though, that it was my involvement in track and field that fueled my drive for achievement in the classroom, shaping both my self-discipline and time-management skills. The more invested and competitive I became in track and field, the more focused I was in the classroom. Thus, the more I allowed each discipline to hold equal weight and to fuel the other, the more focused I was on my studies and the greater goals I achieved in the field. The student-athlete mindset is not defined by compromise, rather, it is defined by amplification."
 
Finalists for the 2024-25 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year were Addison Parrott of Central and Madison Hays of Simpson. 
 
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.