Grabowski Named A.I.I. Winner of A.O. Duer and Emil S. Liston Awards, Advanced for National Consideration

Bernadette-GrabowskiBernadette Grabowski, a rising senior guard/forward at Indiana University Northwest, has been named the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) honoree for the Emil S. Liston and A.O. Duer awards. Grabowski's nomination was forwarded to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as the A.I.I.'s selection and official nomination to be the national recipient for both awards.

The Emil S. Liston Scholarship Award honors a junior men's and women's basketball player who has shown high athletic and academic achievement. The award is named after the NAIA's first executive secretary and the prime mover behind the men's basketball tournament and is awarded annually since 1950. The A.O. Duer Scholarship Award presented by Daktronics, named after the NAIA's former secretary who served the association for 26 years. It is presented annually since 1967 to a male and female junior student-athlete in any sport who excels in scholarship, character and citizenship.

Grabowski, a native of Munster, Indiana, is entering her senior year at Indiana University Northwest where she is pursuing a degree in elementary education and has maintained a 4.0 grade point average since becoming a RedHawk. She has been a top defender for the RedHawks and has featured in 90 contests for Indiana University Northwest with 556 career points. She was honored by the IUN Athletics department this past spring as their 2016 Outstanding Female Student-Athlete, the highest honor awarded to a current RedHawk.

In addition to her outstanding work on the court and in the classroom, Grabowski volunteers at Joan Martin Elementary School and is active at her church in Munster. In her nomination, Executive Athletic Director Kristofer Schnatz said, "Bernie simply does things the right way. She is completely committed to our program, university and community. Bernie is a reliable individual and she is always accountable to herself and her teammates." He went on to say, "she takes on the mantle of responsibility well past the expectations of her coaching staff and our administration. Bernie's ability to mentor others and lead by setting the example has made her a valuable asset to our athletic program and university."

Grabowski has been recognized as a 2016 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete and has earned the RedHawks Highest GPA Award three years in a row.