KIRKLAND - NU athletics announces its two athletes of the year as Abigail Broussard and Micah Murphy.

Abigail Broussard was a graduate student this past fall as she wrapped up her final year of volleyball. She had a stellar athletic and academic career at Northwest University, which culminated in 2022 with her selection as a Second Team All-American (Honorable Mention in 2021) and her award as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

Her selection as a Second Team All American in volleyball is even more notable, considering the team did not make the postseason. This is a testimony to the impact her play had on opposing teams and coaches.

"I am even more proud of Abi's academic achievements. Indeed, when Abi first came to NU, she struggled academically, primarily because of her own fixed mindset regarding her potential as a student," says Head Coach Steve Bain. "Her ability to recognize that her mindset was hindering her academic achievement led her to adopt a growth mindset in her academic studies, with the goal of working just as hard in the classroom as she did on the court. Consequently, Abi's transformation led to multi-year academic honors at both conference and NAIA levels. In summary, Abi embodies all the qualities we strive to develop in Northwest University athletes and is an exemplary and deserving candidate for Female Athlete of the Year."

Micah Murphy finished up his junior year at NU this spring while running for both men's cross country and track and field. 

Murphy earned All-American honors at the 5,000m indoor track and field national championships with a sixth-place finish. The junior also anchored the distance medley relay to a school record-setting performance at the UW Indoor TF Invitational.

"Micah has big goals and has been training so hard to reach them. After an excruciating way to end his cross country season, he showed a lot of God given resilience and perseverance to come back and finish sixth at the 5k indoor national championships, showing he's one of the NAIA's best distance runners. He's been a good leader for us, too, using his words and setting an example to our team in how to be good stewards of God's gifts." - Mark Mandi