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Dakota State has two basketball Academic All-Americans

            The NAIA has released the 2001-2002 Scholar Athletes for the 2001-02 season for men's and women's basketball and wrestling. Dakota State University has two athletes who were named Academic All-Americans. 

            Junior transfer student Matt Pendergrass of Byron, IL and junior Erin Nielsen of Pierre, SD were named Academic All-Americans for the 2001-02 basketball season. Pendergrass is the son of Joe Pendergrass and Debra Schultz and is majoring in Marketing at Dakota State. On the season Pendergrass led the Trojans in assists with 83, while averaging 8.5 points per game, scoring 230 points on the season.

Nielsen is the daughter of Jane Nielsen and is majoring in Fitness/Wellness Management at Dakota State. She averaged 7.6 points per game this season, scoring 213 points in 28 games.

            In all, 18 women's basketball players, six men's basketball players and two wrestlers from the DAC-10 were honored as Academic All-Americans.