By Journal Sports Staff

MARQUETTE – Numerous Northern Michigan University student-athletes turned in memorable individual performances during the 2015-16 season.

School records were set. Games were won in the final seconds. And individual titles were captured.

For the first time, NMU will present a Performance of the Year award to one Wildcat based on a social media vote.

A total of 14 Wildcats, one from each NMU team, are up for consideration for this inaugural award.

Northern fans can vote for their favorite on the NMU Athletics’ Facebook page by liking their photograph in the post on the award.

Voting will conclude at noon on Wednesday, April 13.

These athletes are being considered:

Martin Eliasson, men’s golf, Sept. 20 at the GLIAC North Invitational – He set a school record with his first-round 66 at his second collegiate meet. He was one of only four golfers to break par that day and his score was the lowest posted during any round at the GLIAC North Invitational. Eliasson ultimately finished second in a field of more than 70, shooting 139 after a 73 on the second day.

Karissa Guthrie, women’s golf, Oct. 3-4, at Ashland (Ohio) University Invitational – Guthrie secured a top-10 finish, shooting a two-round 162 (78-84) to finish tied for 10th in a field of 73. Her first-round 78 is the second-best score posted by a Wildcat women’s golfer during the team’s inaugural season.

Allyssa Milam, women’s soccer, Oct. 31 – Milam deflected a corner kick into the net in the 69th minute of play to lift the NMU squad to a 2-1 win over Michigan Tech on Senior Day. With the victory, the Wildcats clinched the fifth seed in the GLIAC Women’s Soccer Tournament. It was the sophomore defender’s first collegiate goal.

Madison Whitehead, women’s volleyball, Oct. 31, against Ferris State – Whitehead led the Wildcats to a five-set upset of No. 1 Ferris State on Senior Day with a career-best 26 kills, including four in the decisive fifth set. She also recorded a hitting percentage of .429 and three blocks. The Bulldogs entered the match 23-1 and 12-0 in GLIAC action.

Shaye Brown, football, Oct. 31, at Walsh – Brown tossed touchdown passes of 20, 21, 22 and 23 yards against the Pioneers, breaking NMU’s single-season record set by Matt Hoard in 1996. Brown threw for 299 yards as the Wildcats toppled Walsh under the lights, 35-17. Brown finished the season with 30 touchdowns and a school-record 3,123 passing yards.

Kameron Burmeister of Menominee, women’s cross country, Nov. 7, at the NCAA Midwestern regional – Burmeister paced the Wildcats with a 14th-place finish as they qualified for their first NCAA cross country national championship meet since 2005 by claiming fourth at their regional meet. She posted NMU’s fastest 6-kilometer time of the season, clocking in at 21:28.77.

Dominik Shine, hockey, Dec. 4, at Alabama-Huntsville – With 17 seconds left on the clock, Shine capped his first career hat trick with a shorthanded penalty-shot goal to lift NMU to a 4-3 comeback victory over the Chargers. It was one of only three hat tricks posted in WCHA play during the season. Shine went on to lead the WCHA in December with six goals, eight points and 28 shots en route to capturing his first Player of the Month award.

Adam Martin, men’s Nordic skiing, Jan. 3, at the U.S. Skiing Championships – Martin placed third overall – and second among American skiers – in the 15K classic. He completed the course in 40:47.0 and was one of only two collegiate skiers to finish in the top 20 in a field of almost 200. Martin ultimately earned a spot on the America’s World U-23 Championship team based on his performance.

Naba Echols, men’s basketball, Jan. 21, against Saginaw Valley State – Echols scored 31 points, the most by a Wildcat this season, in the team’s 83-79 loss to GLIAC frontrunner SVSU. The freshman went 10 of 16 from the field and 6 of 9 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Bre Gaspervich, women’s basketball, Feb. 1, against Michigan Tech – Gaspervich hit a last-second layup to vault the Wildcats past the GLIAC North leading Huskies, 71-69. She recorded a team-high 21 points on 9 for 13 shooting and also dished out five assists. The performance kicked off a stretch where she scored at least 20 points four times in five games, leading the Wildcats to a 4-1 record in that span.

Danielle Brzezinski, Paige Dutcher, Kieren Becker and Shayla Huebner of Marquette, women’s track and field, Feb. 6, at the Lake Superior Challenge – The 4-by-400-meter relay team clocked in at 4:01.65 to set a school and Burns Wellness Fieldhouse record. The quartet finished 11.27 seconds faster than the second-place team and broke a five-year-old school record.

Ryan Knox-Leonard, men’s swimming and diving, Feb. 11, at the GLIAC Championships – Knox-Leonard became the first Wildcat to win a men’s title at the meet, setting a school and meet record in the 400-yard individual medley. He clocked 3:51.65, a time that qualified him for the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships. He went on to break that record at the national meet en route to an All-American finish.

Sophie Schimpl, women’s Nordic skiing, Feb. 2, at the NCAA Central Regional Championships – She captured the 5K freestyle regional crown in 13:50.7, 10.2 seconds faster than the runner-up. Her performance secured 24 points for the Wildcats, who ultimately edged Alaska-Fairbanks for the team title by two points.

Molly Kearney, women’s swimming and diving, Mar. 11, at the NCAA National Championships – She took fifth in the one-meter diving, capturing All-American honors for the seventh time in her decorated career. Her 459.70 points was the best she posted in the one-meter dive at the national meet. Earlier in the competition, Kearney took seventh in the three-meter diving and won the one-meter qualification round.

Information compiled by Senior Sports Writer Craig Remsburg. He can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251, or via email at cremsburg@miningjournal.net.