NORTHEAST ATHLETICS ANNOUNCES 2023-24 AWARDS

NORFOLK, Neb. – The Northeast Community athletic department announced their 2023-24 awards Tuesday as voted on by coaches and staff. Aidyn Woodall (Castle Rock, Colo.) was named Female Athlete of the Year, Edouard Nys (Dottignies, Belgium) was named Male Athlete of the Year, Cadence Kramer (Stuart, Neb.) was named the recipient of the Female Character Award and Rusty Wortman (Gretna, Neb.) was named the recipient of the Male Character Award.

Woodall was named Female Athlete of the year for the second time during her illustrious career with the Hawks after also earning the award at the end of the 2022-23 athletic year. Woodall was the captain of a team that won the Region 11 regular-season title, the Region 11 Championship and North Plains District Championship. She was named First Team All-Region, Offensive MVP and overall MVP of the Region 11 Tournament and was honored by the NJCAA as a First Team All-American. Woodall ranked fifth in the ICCAC in goals with 16, third in the ICCAC in assists with 89 and fourth in the ICCAC in points with 50. Her sophomore campaign took off in the playoffs as she recorded six goals in postseason play, including game-winning goals in the Region 11 Tournament Semifinals, the Region 11 Tournament Championship and the North Plains District Championship.

Northeast set a program record for wins in a season under the leadership of Woodall and tallied an overall record of 20-2-1. The Hawks were ranked as high as No. 5 in the NJCAA DII Women's Soccer Rankings, which was their highest ranking in the history of the program. Woodall led Northeast to their fourth-straight appearance at the national tournament and a victory over No. 9 Schoolcraft Community College at nationals. The Hawks were also honored with the Sportsmanship Award at the 2023 NJCAA Women's Soccer Championship. Woodall has signed to continue her career at NCAA Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Nys earned the distinction of Male Athlete of the Year after a freshman season that made waves nationally. He was named First Team All-Region, ICCAC Player of the Year, Offensive MVP of the Region 11 Tournament, NJCAA First Team All-American and placed on the 2023 NJCAA DII Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team. Nys was third in the ICCAC in goals with 17, first in the ICCAC in assists with 22 and first in the ICCAC in points with 56. The Hawks won the Region 11 regular-season crown, the Region 11 Championship, the Plains District Championship and made it to the 2023 NJCAA DII Men's Soccer Championship Semifinals.

The Hawks rose to No. 1 in the NJCAA DII Men's Soccer Rankings thanks in part to Nys' efforts on the field, which was the first time an athletic program at Northeast had ever been ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA era. Nys scored the game-winning goal against No. 8 Prairie State College at the 2023 NJCAA Men's Soccer Championship and the back-heel clincher was featured as the top play of the day on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays. Northeast set a program record for wins in a season with a record of 22-2, were the top seed at a national tournament for the first time in school history and recorded five postseason victories.

Kramer was granted the winner of the Female Character Award after an athletic year where she stepped up in a big way for the Hawks. Kramer completed her sophomore season on the volleyball court in the fall and then volunteered her time to step onto the softball diamond in the spring with Northeast. As a dual-sport athlete, she consistently represented what in meant to be a student-athlete at Northeast throughout the entire year.

Wortman was given the Male Character Award after a three-year career at Northeast that saw him give his time through a number of different initiatives. Wortman was the starting catcher for the Hawks during each of the last two seasons and became someone who the entire athletic department could rely on from attending banquets, being a student-worker at games and carrying himself as an ambassador for Northeast as a whole.

Athletic Director Jerrett Mills enjoyed having a first-person view of the historic seasons that Woodall and Nys put together.

"Aidyn rose to the top on many occasions and was a true captain and leader of the women's soccer program," Mills said. "She was always approachable and knew what it took to be the best. Edouard had an incredible freshman year at Northeast. He continued to shape the progress of the Northeast Men's Soccer team and I look forward to the many accomplishments he will chase after next season."

Mills also couldn't be more grateful for everything that Kramer and Wortman gave to the athletic department during their time at Northeast.

"Cadence really took a step forward from her freshman to sophomore year at Northeast," Mills said. "She understood the meaning of hard work and was able to step up in a big way for two different programs. Rusty did not shy away from the opportunities that were presented to him throughout his three years. He certainly represents the meaning of character. We are appreciative that he chose Northeast because it was extremely rewarding to watch him grow as a student-athlete."

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