INDIANAPOLIS—The NCAA released the final list of nominations for the Division II Gold Award Monday afternoon. The list contains over 100 individuals from all 17 DII conferences.
 
In honor of the 50^th anniversary of Division II, the Gold Award will recognize one male and one female who have made a positive impact on Division II. Nominees may be a current or former student-athlete, coach, faculty, or administrator who have made a long-lasting impact on the institution in the areas of athletics, professional development, service, and leadership.
 
Each Division II institution as well as conference were afforded the opportunity to nominate one male and one female they feel is most-deserving of the award.

Athletic administrators from Great Midwest institutions voted Tom Daeger and Leslie Scheumann to serve as the conference nominees. 

Great Midwest Athletic Conference
Tom Daeger - Current Conference Commissioner
Tom Daeger was named the first Commissioner of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference on November 21, 2011 and is currently in his 12th year as the leader of organization. Daeger has led expansion of the Conference from the initial six charter members to the current structure of 14 full members in the 2023-24 academic year.
 
The Conference has also added sport sponsorship from an initial allotment of 11 championship sports in 2012-13 to 26 championship sports in 2022-23 with the addition of a Great Midwest STUNT Championship. Daeger also guided creation of the Great Midwest - Mountain East Swimming & Diving Championships, the first co-sponsored championship by two Division II leagues in 2017-18. He facilitated a similar partnership with Conference Carolinas for the sports of men's and women's bowling in 2022-23.
 
Daeger has served on several national committees, including most recently, on the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.
 
Originally from Indianapolis, Daeger graduated from the University of Indianapolis in 2000. During his time at UIndy, Daeger was a four-year starter for the Greyhounds baseball team. He was the 1996 GLVC Freshman of the Year, All-GLVC honoree (1998), three-time Academic All-GLVC selection (1998-2000), and Academic All-District (2000). He helped UIndy to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a third-place finish in the Division II NCAA World Series in 2000, earning Team MVP honors. Daeger graduated as the school’s all-time hits and total bases leader. Daeger continued his education at DII California University earning a Master of Science degree in Sport Management in 2006. Daeger has also coached collegiately, serving as a baseball assistant/hitting coach at UIndy in 2003. The Greyhounds finished 39-22 and advanced to the final game of the NCAA Midwest Regional.
 
2023-24 marks Daeger's 23rd year in athletic conference administration.

Leslie Schuemann - Current Conference Deputy Commissioner
In July of the 2019-20 academic year, Schuemann joined the conference staff as the Great Midwest SeniorAssociate Commissioner/Senior Woman Administrator. Going into her third year as a member of the conferenceoffice staff, she was promoted to Deputy Commissioner. Schuemann transitioned to the Great Midwest after spending four years in the same role at the Heartland Conference,a fellow NCAA Division II conference office, in Waco, Texas.
 
Schuemann served as the chair of the NCAA Division II Membership Committee, which establishes policies and procedures for prospective member institutions to achieve active membership status in Division II, while reviewing issues pertaining to membership requirements and membership compliance issues.After that term, she started a stint on the NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions. Schuemann joined the Heartland Conference in June of 2015 after serving as Director of Athletics at Fresno Pacific University in California. During her tenure, Schuemann guided FPU to its first ever NCAA Division II conference championships, as well as numerous accolades in the areas of academics, community service and sportsmanship.
 
Her extensive professional experience includes a role at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, where she was the Assistant Director of Academic and Membership Affairs from 2007-2012.
 
Schuemann earned her Master of Science in counseling psychology at Texas A&M-Kingsville, where she alsocompleted her undergraduate studies. She returned to her alma mater to begin her career in athletics, serving as an Academic Advisor for three years before spending five years as the Assistant A.D. for Compliance and SWA.
 

In addition to conference nominees, administrators then had the opportunity to submit individuals from their own campuses as nominees for the award. 

Ashland University (2020-Present)
Kari Pickens - Current Head Women’s Basketball Coach
Kari Pickens has excelled at the Division II level as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, becoming the only woman in DII to win a national championship in all three roles. Pickens is the first woman in NCAA Division II women’s basketball to be named WBCA Coach of the Year (2022-23) and Player of the Year (2011-12 & 2012-13). She is the first NCAA women’s basketball coach at any level to be named WBCA Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year (2016-17). In six years as head coach, Kari Pickens holds an overall record of 142-15 (.904). Her winning percentage at .904 is the second-best in NCAA women’s basketball history at any level.
 
As a player, Kari Pickens played only two seasons at the Division II level, totaling 1,414 career points. She currently holds the record for most consecutive games with a double-double (34), most field goals (56) and most rebounds (95) in an NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament (2012).
 
Trevor Bassitt - Former Track & Field Student-Athlete
Trevor Bassitt is one of the top men's track and field athletes in the history of NCAA Division II, and the most decorated athlete in the storied history of Ashland College/University track and field. He collected 10 national championships and 21 All-American Honors during his career at Ashland.

Bassitt will compete for Team USA at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the men’s 400 hurdles. In 2022, he won a World Athletics outdoor gold medal in the men’s 4x400 relay, and a World Athletics outdoor bronze medal in the men’s 400 hurdles.
 
Cedarville University (Charter Member)
Teresa Clark - Current Administrator & Faculty Member
Teresa Clark is a former student-athlete and coach at Cedarville University in the sport of volleyball. She currently serves as the Faculty Athletic Representative, mentoring and advocating for student-athletes on campus. As the FAR, she has been involved with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, where she seeks to instill the importance of character development and spiritual growth in the life of each student-athlete.
Clark has modeled her charge to utilize her voice at both the conference and national levels during her years at Cedarville. She has served the G-MAC on the Strategic Planning Committee, Branding Committee, and chaired the FAR Committee. In 2022, Teresa was recognized for her work as one of the six recipients of the Great Midwest Distinguished Founders Award. Most recently, Clark won the 2023 Great Midwest Faculty Mentor of the Year award for her impact on student-athlete development. At the national level, Teresa Clark has served on the Division II Management Council, Student Reinstatement Committee, and chaired the Identity Sub-Committee.
 
Hillsdale College (2017-Present)
Bill Lundberg - Current Administrator & Faculty Member
Bill Lundberg served as the Head Track & Field Coach at Hillsdale College for 27 years before transitioning into an administrative role as a professor and head of the Hillsdale College Wellness Initiative.
 
During his tenure as head coach, he won 25 championships, guided the careers of 17 individual national champions, and coached over 200 Academic All-Americans. He earned 22 conference Coach of the Year honors and is credited with helping make Hillsdale’s annual outdoor track and field invitationals, the GINA relays, one of the most prestigious events in the Midwest.
 
Lundberg continues to support student-athletes at Hillsdale through the college’s Wellness Program and being a regular attendee at Chargers sporting events.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan College (Charter Member)
Roy Pickerill - Current Administrator & Faculty Member
Roy Pickerill served in Kentucky Wesleyan’s athletic department for nearly 30 years, working closely with public relations. Pickerill is also a national leader in the collegiate sports information industry in service to NCAA DII. He has served several vital roles for KWC, including 29 years as Sports Information Director. He is currently in his 52^nd year at the institution , where he currently serves as SID Emeritus.
 
He has earned several national awards over the course of his career, including a spot in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame (1999). He also received CoSIDA’s Warren Berg Award in 1998, presented annually to a college division member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of sports information.
 
Northwood University (2022-Present)
Zane Colestock - Former Administrator & Faculty Member
Over the span of a legendary 46-year career as head coach of the Northwood University tennis programs that concluded in 2020, Zane Colestock is one of if not the winningest coach in the history of collegiate tennis. He won a combined 35 GLIAC Championships between his men's and women's programs (22 men, 13 women). Colestock was been named the GLIAC Coach of the Year 20 times (15 men, five women) and finished his career with a remarkable 1003-283 overall combined record.
 
He led Northwood to 39 NCAA Tournament bids (21 men’s, 18 women’s). His 2002 men’s team placed third at the NCAA Championships, the best finish for any men’s sport in school history at the national championship. Colestock also led the 1998 men’s team to the final four and three different women’s team to the NCAA Quarterfinals (2004,2006, 2010).
 
Kate Dornbos - Current Administrator & Faculty Member
Kate Dornbos currently serves as the Head Athletic Trainer at Northwood University, where she leads the way for student-athletes both on and off the field. Dornbos is heavily involved with Northwood’s “I Hear You” project, a program centered around providing students and staff with mental health first aid certification.
 
Additionally, Dornbos is one of the founders of the Diversity Inclusion Group on campus, which is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion.
 
Ursuline College (Charter Member)
Cindy McKnight - Current Administrator & Faculty Member
Ursuline’s Cindy McKnight guided the Arrows through the transition from NAIA to NCAA DII in 2013-2014, which was initiated under her leadership in 2010.
 
McKnight was a driving force behind the creation, development and launch of the Great Midwest as an NCAA Division II athletic conference in 2011. The G-MAC is now one of the NCAA DII powerhouse conferences with 14 member institutions which sponsor 26 conference championship sport offerings.
 
In 2022, Cindy received the Great Midwest Distinguished Founders Awards that acknowledged individuals who have made significant and distinct contributions to the origination and success of the conference. Her exemplary leadership and loyalty to the conference is recognized as a catalyst to the initial and ongoing success of the organization. 

McKnight currently serves as a NCAA Division II Management council member, joining representatives from each of the multi-sport voting conferences to provide recommendations for policies and regulations that govern the division. She also is a member of the NCAA DII Membership Committee, reviewing and considering issues pertaining to the membership requirements and membership compliance issues.
 
Cindy McKnight’s persistence and commitment to the student-athlete experience are driving factors every day behind the success of Ursuline College athletics start and continue to push the conference in a promising direction.
 
Conference offices will now review the nominated individuals and select two conference winners by Nov. 6. The NCAA Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee will review the finalists and select the two overall winners, who will be recognized at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix.