CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) held its annual Men's and Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year banquet at Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday, May 27.
Although unable to attend, former Nebraska Wesleyan track & field student-athlete, Avery Decker, was presented the Johanna Olson Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for the 2024-25 academic year. While former track & field student-athlete from the University of Dubuque, Otis Patterson, was honored as the recipient of the Duane Schroeder Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.
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.
Patterson is a four-time All-American and seven-time NCAA qualifier. He earned seven A-R-C titles and 12 total all-conference honors. He was named the 2025 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year as well as the 2025 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
In the classroom, Patterson held a 4.00 cumulative grade point average during his undergraduate studies in communications. He now holds a 3.92 GPA during his master’s studies in management - sport management. He is a three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American honoree and a four-time American Rivers All-Academic honoree. He is a UD Wendt Character Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has earned the Spartan Academic Achievement Award.
In leadership and community service roles, Patterson has served as a food pantry volunteer and took part in the UD Spartans Make a Difference Day. He has been a back to school drive worker and a high school heritage tour guide. Patterson has been a role model for young men through the YMCA Dubuque and has attended numerous community diversity and inclusion meetings.
Patterson is the first Spartan to earn Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year since 2020-21 when Zach Naatz earned the honor. Patterson is the fourth Spartan to earn this distinction.
In addition to the presentation of the Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, the conference formally recognized winners of the Marjorie Giles Women’s All-Sports Trophy, Elmer Hertel Men’s All-Sports Trophy, and the Conference’s Combined All-Sports Trophy. For the 22nd consecutive year, Wartburg College found themselves atop the Combined All-Sports Trophy standings, recognizing the conference’s top overall program. The Knights also collected the Elmer Hertel Men’s All-Sports Trophy for the 27th time in school history and the Marjorie Giles Women’s All-Sports Trophy for the 20th time.
About the All-Sports Trophies
Each school's finish in each sport is determined and given a numerical worth by inverting the finish (i.e. first place is worth nine points, second place is worth eight points, third place is worth seven points, etc). In case of ties, the worth of all places involved are totaled and divided by the number of teams in that tie. Each school's finish in all sports is then totaled, and the school with the largest number of points shall be awarded the respective Championship Trophy. The Marjorie Giles Women’s All-Sports Trophy, first awarded in 1982-83 (at the time named the Women's Sports Championship Trophy), is presented annually to the Conference member that accumulates the most points in women’s sports. The Elmer Hertel Men's All-Sports Trophy was first awarded in 1970-71 (at that time named the Men's Sports Championship Trophy) and presented to the Conference member that accumulates the most points in men's sports. The school displaying overall excellence in men's and women's sports is awarded the American Rivers Conference All-Sports Championship Trophy.
Marjorie Giles is a former Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) from Central College serving from 1981-98. During her tenure as a FAR, she participated in writing of the Conference Constitution to include women’s athletics and to establish women’s Championships. She was the first female to serve as President of the Conference and was actively involved with the NCAA serving on several committees and on the Management Council.
The Elmer Hertel Men’s Sports Championship Trophy was renamed in 1981 to honor the former Wartburg College coach. Dr. Hertel served as the Conference secretary-treasurer from 1944-1981.
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 Duane Schroeder
The American Rivers Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is named in honor of the late Duane Schroeder, former sports information director (SID) at Wartburg College. Schroeder served as Wartburg’s SID for 43 years until his retirement in 2000. Upon his retirement from his sports information duties, he was named SID Emeritus and served as Wartburg’s News Director until 2001. During much of his four decades at Wartburg, Schroeder served as the Conference’s information director and secretary/treasurer.
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.
About the American Rivers Conference
Nationally respected for excellence in NCAA Division III athletics, the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has a tradition dating back to its founding in 1922 as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in 2018 to reflect its strong Iowa roots and growing regional footprint. The A-R-C is a collaborative community that champions the holistic development of student-athletes, uniting member institutions in a shared commitment to academic achievement, athletic distinction, and leadership.
The A-R-C is home to nine full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College. Luther College has announced its departure from the conference, effective at the conclusion of the 2025–26 academic year.
