SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Three Dakota Wesleyan student-athletes have won NAIA national awards at the conference level and will advance to the NAIA's official national ballot. These distinctions reflect excellence both in competition and in the classroom, along with extensive involvement with their surrounding communities.
The first Tiger athlete of the three to be honored is Emma Yost of Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball, who played a crucial role in helping the program reach the NAIA semifinals during its 2025-26 campaign. Yost, originally from Wagner, South Dakota, has won the Emil S. Liston Award at the GPAC level, which is presented to junior men's and women's basketball student-athletes who have shown high athletic and academic achievement, and will now move on to the national ballot. On the court, Yost posted 545 total points on 50.8% shooting from the field en route to earning her third-consecutive First Team All-GPAC award and her first-career NAIA All-American nod, along with a spot on the CSC Academic All-District team as a current student in the DWU Nursing program.
The next athlete to be honored is Jagger Tyler of Dakota Wesleyan Men's Wrestling, who was a GPAC Champion at the 174-pound weight class, along with an eighth-place finish at the NAIA National Championships to reach All-American status. Tyler, local to Mitchell, South Dakota, has won the male A. O. Duer Award from the GPAC and will advance to the NAIA ballot, with the award being given to one male and female junior student-athlete from the 2025-26 season who have excelled in scholarship, character, and citizenship. On the mat, Jagger was one of the team's top performers during the season, becoming the program's third overall outright GPAC Champion and 18th individual to earn All-American honors. Following the wrestling season, Jagger was named CSC Academic All-District for his efforts in the classroom and is an active member of the campus community, serving as a chaplain for DWU Campus Ministry. He is also enrolled in the US Army National Guard as he begins to build his career beyond his time at Dakota Wesleyan.
The final athlete to be recognized is Elizabeth "Lizzie" Tyler, the sister of Jagger, and a standout member of Dakota Wesleyan Women's Volleyball. She will be joining her brother as an A. O. Duer winner at the conference level and advance to the national ballot, with this instance marking the first time that both GPAC candidates for the award have come from Dakota Wesleyan. On the court, Lizzie served as the team's libero, flying around as both an elite defensive force and top-end playmaker, playing a major role in DWU Volleyball's 2025 run through the NAIA national tournament. She earned First Team All-GPAC honors and the conference's Co-Defender of the Year award for her efforts this season, along with a First Team All-Region nod from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Third Team All-American status from the NAIA. Lizzie is also a multiple-time NAIA and DWU scholar-athlete and is thriving in the university's Elementary & Special Education program. Around campus, Lizzie serves as a campus chaplain with DWU Campus Ministry and is noted as a leader by her peers around campus.
These three student-athletes not only exemplify their own individual excellence, but also build upon the recent, continued success of DWU Athletics as a whole at the national level. Dakota Wesleyan has produced an NAIA A. O. Duer Award winner three out of the previous five years, with Jeff Schuch winning it for the men in 2020-21, Ady Dwight for the women in 2022-23, and Landon Ruesink for the men in 2024-25. This cycle of awards and these three conference winners also mark the most DWU representation in the prestigious postseason awards to date. Director of Athletics Ross Cimpl highlights the efforts of these individuals and what their accomplishments imply for DWU Athletics as a whole: