Ruesink Named the NAIA's Male Recipient of the A. O. Duer Scholarship Award

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The NAIA has announced that Dakota Wesleyan University student-athlete Landon Ruesink is the recipient of the 2024-25 Male A. O. Duer Scholarship Award, presented to a student-athlete who has excelled in scholarship, character, and citizenship on and off the field of play.

Ruesink is a dual-sport athlete on campus: a standout member of Dakota Wesleyan football as a punt returner and defensive back, and baseball as an infielder, along with excelling in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA in his accounting major. Ruesink was named to the All-Conference list in football for the 2024 season and previously won similar honors for the baseball team. He was named a Daktronics Scholar Athlete in 2023 and 2024 in both sports and was selected for the CSC Academic All-District team in 2023.

Ruesink is originally from Dell Rapids, S.D., a graduate of Dell Rapids High School, and joined the Dakota Wesleyan community in the 2022-23 academic year. Along with all his academic and athletic responsibilities, Ruesink has also been able to complete an internship at CorTrust Bank in Mitchell, S.D., where he is preparing for a successful career following graduation.

Ruesink also received a scholarship from the South Dakota Trust Association in 2023 for his efforts and research on the trust industry and income taxes related to the field. Through all his ventures, Ruesink has remained an integral member of both the campus and Mitchell communities and is always eager to lend a helping hand or support his peers in any way possible.

Athletic Director Ross Cimpl vouched for Ruesink's award nomination and the NAIA distinction. "We are extremely proud of Landon; he is beyond deserving of this award. The impact that Landon has made on our campus community has been tremendous. He is the definition of student-athlete. He is one of the most dedicated and hard-working student-athletes I have ever been around. He does not just participate in many things on our campus, he excels. He is a tremendous leader who exemplifies the values and mission of Dakota Wesleyan."

"Landon is the epitome of our mission of learning, leadership, faith and service," said Joel Reinesch, who is an associate professor of Criminal Justice and serves as faculty athletic representative." This award is the most prestigious the NAIA bestows each year as it factors academic achievement and community service ahead of what these student athletes do on the field. Landon excels in every category. This award not only shows our university's ability to follow through on our mission and the quality of individuals we recruit, but the academic and personal character with which these student-athletes live every facet of their lives. I can think of no one more deserving than Landon."

This achievement marks the third time in five years that the A. O. Duer Scholarship Award has gone to a member of the Dakota Wesleyan University athletic department, with DWU being the only institution in the NAIA to have three separate winners since 2013. Ruesink joins previous award winners from Dakota Wesleyan University, Ady Dwight (2023) and Jeffrey Schuch (2021), as esteemed members of the Tiger family. Dakota Wesleyan University student-athletes continue to demonstrate their dedication to both aspects of the title, with the institution also being just one of eleven schools to be named Champions of Character Gold Five-Star Institutions by the NAIA for four consecutive years.

Read the full list of the NAIA's award winners here.