2025 UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award Winners

4/23/2025 10:00:00 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Among a field of 16 talented and dedicated Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) senior student-athletes recognized as finalists for the 2025 Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award, two individuals have set themselves apart from the rest through consistent success on and off the field of competition.
 
Anna Deichert of the North Central University Rams has been named the 2025 UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award winner for the women, while Alex Paredes of the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets has been tabbed as the men’s winner, the conference office announced Wednesday.
 
| Finalists Release | Past Winners |
 
Through this award, the UMAC recognizes the role athletics plays in developing leaders by rewarding athletes' excellence in the classroom as well as service to the community. The honor is awarded annually to one male and one female graduating senior from UMAC full member-institutions.
 
Deichert and Paredes emerged from a group of finalists that demonstrates a healthy balance by achieving excellence in academics, leadership, and service while participating in intercollegiate athletics. Finalists for each institution were nominated by the UMAC Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR) and the winners were also selected by the FAR Council.
 

2025 UMAC WOMEN'S SCHOLAR-ATHLETE LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNER

Name: Anna Deichert
Institution: North Central
Major: American Sign Language Interpreting
Sport(s): Women's Soccer
 
Academic Achievements:
  • Anna is finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in American Sign Language Interpreting with a Minor in Christian Studies this spring and has done so within three years at North Central.
  • She has been a Dean’s List recipient all of her 3 years as a student athlete, including 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025, pending Spring ‘25. (Every semester she has been at NCU)
  • On top of this, Anna was named UMAC Academic All-Conference as a Fall Women’s Soccer student – athlete in 2023, 2024, and 2025. (Every season she has been at NCU)
  • NCCAA Scholar Athlete as a Fall Women’s Soccer student – athlete in 2023, 2024, and 2025. (Every season she has been at NCU)
 
Leadership:
  • Anna has served as the captain of the Women’s Soccer team for the 2024 – 25 season.
  • ASL Alliance Student Organization – Assistant Director. As AD, Anna helped with on campus events and worked to spread awareness to dead culture on campus. (2023 – 24 school year)
  • Qualified Student Interpreter Coordinator for the ASL Department. Worked to schedule interpreters for deaf students on campus, including communicating with different departments to set a schedule. (2023 – 2024 school year)
  • Alabaster Deaf Outreach Organization – Director. Sits as the Director for Alabaster, an off-campus outreach that serves the deaf community. They work to perform worship songs in ASL and teach non-deaf churches about deaf culture. Anna also helps plan visits to these churches that bring awareness to deaf culture. (2024 – Present)
  • Student Ministry Intern at Heritage Christian Church in Ohio. Mentored middle and high school students as well as organized and coordinated events for a week-long service initiative.
  • Deaf Missions Conference, Texas. ASL Department at NCU took a trip to the conference in Texas. Anna was a part of the team that lead the students from NCU. Organized a fundraiser for the trip by selling and designing quarter zips.
  • Teachers Assistant (Spring 24 for Topics in ASL and Fall 24 for Disciples of Interpreting). She was a mentor that helped with students in the class one on one, taught multiple lessons, and contributed to lesson planning. 
 
Service:
  • Serves at Deaf Blind Church in St. Paul, MN. Started volunteering in 2023, once a month for the last two years. (Volunteer)
  • Volunteered at Night to Shine, a prom for adults with disabilities, which is a part of the Tim Tebow foundation. This occurred on the Friday before Valentine’s Day (2025, volunteer).
  • Served at Deaf Life Church, also in St. Paul, MN. Assisted in decorating for Christmas, helped pain the basement, and helped with other housekeeping items for the church (2022 – 2024, volunteer).
  • Volunteered at Metro School for the Deaf in St. Paul, MN. Helped the school with an annual pancake breakfast for students (2024, Volunteer).
  • Service Week (SOAL) or Serving One Another in Love in Ohio. Hopped around to different local organizations to serve and volunteer. One example includes Out of Darkness, a safe house for women (2022 – 2023, volunteer).
  • Volunteer Interpreter for Church of Hope Youth Group in Elk River, MN. Interprets for small group, games, and worship (2023 – Present, Volunteer).
  • Volunteer Interpreter for the Edge Church in Rogers, MN. Interprets the service and worship (2024 – Present, paid).
  • ASL Internship with two different Agencies – KY Interpreting Services and ASLIS. Works in various settings including education, medical, mental health and governmental (2024 – Present, unpaid).
 
Other:
  • NCCAA Honorable Mention, 2025.
   
   
 

2025 UMAC MEN'S SCHOLAR-ATHLETE LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNER

Name: Alex Paredes
Institution: UW-Superior
Major: Business Administration
Sport(s): Men's Soccer, Indoor Track and Field
 
Academic Achievements:
  • Dean’s List Fall: 2021, 2022, 2024 and Spring 2022, 2023 (abroad)
  • College Sports Communicators Academic All-District First Team: 2022, 2023, 2024
  • UMAC Academic All-Conference 2021, 2022, 2024
  • Scholarships Received:
  • Roderic and Joyce Campbell Business Scholarship
  • Lucia Spooner Study Away Trust Fund Scholarship
  • Lucia Spooner Trust Fund Scholarship
  • UW-Superior Foundation Scholarship
 
Leadership:
  • Active leadership within the upperclassmen leadership group during my junior and senior years.
  • Leadership role within the goalkeeper group, mentoring teammates and creating a competitive, supportive training environment.
  • Hosted team dinners and events outside of the sport environment
  • Represented Duluth FC in community outreach events, including the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, engaging with local kids and promoting soccer
  • Internship-Roc Ventures-as a marketing intern for the Milwaukee Wave professional men’s soccer team (2025)
 
Service:
  • SAAC member (2021-22)
  • Caroling for cans
  • Counselor for Little Yellowjackets Summer Camps program (2023) Paid.
  • Fellowship of Christian athletes
  • Salvation Army ringing bells
  • Coaching/Mentoring youth athletes in the area
  • Volunteering/caretaking with people with Alzheimer's
  • School of Business and Economics planning committee
  • Chi Alpha
  • Cru
  • Volunteering at school events ex. Track meets
  • Volunteer/paid coaching with Superior Soccer Association (2021-2024)
  • Volunteer/paid coaching with Hermantown Youth Soccer Association (2021-2024)
  • Volunteer/paid coaching with Gitchi Gummi Soccer Club (2021-2024)
 
Other:
  • Lead UWS Goalkeeper Career Statistics: most wins (58), most career shutouts (24), total goalkeeper minutes played (6,622), goals-allowed average (0.86) and a part of the UWS team that made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament
  • Career high saves as a goalkeeper in a single season: 71 (2024)
  • the most Goalkeeper minutes played in single season: 1,777 (2024)
  • UMAC All-Conference First Team (2024)
  • United Soccer Coaches All-Region 11 (2024)
  • UMAC All-Conference Second Team (2023)
  • UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention (2022, 2021)
   
 

   

Deichert and Paredes will receive a commemorative plaque with their name engraved on it. Together, they become the 18th group to win the UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award since its inception in 2008.

UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award Winners:
2005 – Alex Paredes (UW-Superior), Anna Deichert (North Central)
2024 – Nate Ohman (UW-Superior), Kristen Vensland (Northland)
2023 – Cody Nye (Minnesota Morris), Ezra Blumer (Martin Luther) Elizabeth Lofstad (North Central)
2022 – Dante Bender (UW-Superior), Sydney Schwitters (Northwestern)
2021 – Ryan Steger (St. Scholastica), Jordan Sauve (Northwestern)
2020 – Riley Loukinen (North Central), Liz Poskie (St. Scholastica), Talia Sherry (Northwestern)
2019 – Josh Koelpin (Martin Luther), MacKenna Hinz (Bethany Lutheran)
2018 – Nick McCormick (Crown), Kira Grev (Martin Luther)
2017 – John Haseman (Minnesota Morris), Elissa Pheneger (North Central)
2016 – Louis Corcoran (Northland), Annaliese Schroeder (North Central)
2015 – Sutton Rehwalt (North Central), Olivia Krejcarek (St. Scholastica)
2014 – Brendan Foss (Minnesota Morris), Krista Stoltz (Northwestern), Abby Fragodt (Minnesota Morris)
2013 – Brett Tester (St. Scholastica), Kali Cordes (Minnesota Morris)
2012 – Brady Giffith (Crown), Joelle Pipal (Bethany Lutheran)
2011 – Toby Peter (St. Scholastica), April Cook (Martin Luther)
2010 – Nick Olson (Northwestern), Maddy Gerber (Minnesota Morris)
2009 – Zach Marshall (Northwestern), Eva Voss (Bethany Lutheran)
2008 – Nathan Nass (Martin Luther), Christopher Rubesch (St. Scholastica), Kristin Scislow (Bethany Lutheran)
   
   
The UMAC is an NCAA Division III member comprised of eight full-time member schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin: Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College, Martin Luther College, North Central University, Northland College, University of Minnesota Morris, University of Northwestern, and University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Watch UMAC games on the UMAC Sports Network: available on the web, as a mobile app for iOS and Android, and as a TV app for Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku.