Nelson wins Dakota Award (2024)

Grant Nelson helped lead Alabama to the Final Four in his first season with the Crimson Tide.

The Devils Lake native and former North Dakota State star made his presence known in the postseason in his first season in Tuscaloosa.

The Fargo Force put together a banner season in winning a USHL championship.

Nelson and the Force were honored with end of the year awards from the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Nelson was named the winner of the Dakota Award, which goes to North Dakotans who excel beyond the state’s borders.

The Force swept the Non-School awards, with the team, coach Brett Skinner and Mac Swanson earning awards.

Grant Nelson, Alabama basketball

Nelson won the North Dakota Mr. Basketball award in 2020 at Devils Lake and after three seasons at NDSU, he transferred to Alabama.

An immediate starter for the Crimson Tide, he played at both the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, averaging 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Nelson led the team with 217 rebounds and ranked No. 15 in the SEC in rebounds per game.

He really took off in the postseason, where he helped lead Alabama to a Final Four.

Alabama (25-12) posted tournaments victories over College of Charleston, Grand Canyon, North Carolina and Clemson to reach the Final Four.

He became the first player since Kevin Love of UCLA in 2008 and the first SEC player since Joakim Noah of Florida in 2006 to post 20 points, 10 rebounds and four-plus blocks in a Sweet 16 or later game when he put up 24 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in the Sweet 16 win over North Carolina.

Nelson finished with 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in Alabama’s 86-82 loss to eventual national champion Connecticut in the semifinals.

Named to the NCAA West Region all-tournament team, Nelson has one season of eligibility remaining and will return to Alabama this fall.

Other finalists for the Dakota Award were Britta Curl of the Wisconsin hockey team, recently drafted by the PWHL Minnesota women's hockey team, and Logan Nissley of the Nebraska basketball team.

Non-School Team

The Fargo Force put together a dominant run to a Clark Cup title.

The Force finished 50-10-2 in the regular season, setting a new USHL record for wins in a regular season to claim the Anderson Cup as regular-season league champs.

Fargo won the best-of-5 Clark Cup finals over Dubuque, winning the second league title in franchise history. Fargo won its first USHL title in 2017-18.

Other finalists for the award were the Minot Minotauros and Fargo Post 2 baseball.

Non-School Coach

Brett Skinner helped lead the Force on a record-breaking title run in the USHL.

In addition to a league-record-regular-season wins, the Force went on to cap the season with their second Clark Cup title in Skinner’s first season in Fargo.

The Force swept the league awards, with Mac Swanson named Player and Forward of the Year, Hampton Slukynsky Goaltender of the Year, Leo Gruba the Defenseman of the Year and Cary Eades was named General Manager of the Year.

Other finalists were Luke Rustad of Fargo Post 2 baseball and Cody Campbell of the Minot Minotauros.

Non-School Athlete

Mac Swanson capped a big season by being named USHL playoff MVP, leading all playoff scorers in goals (5), assists (12) and points (17).

The North Dakota commit was also named the USHL regular-season MVP, putting up 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 55 games. He led the league in assists, ranked third in goals and had the USHL’s top plus-minus rating at +39.

An Anchorage, Alaska, native, Swanson also helped the US to a bronze medal at the World Junior A Challenge. He was the first Force player to win the USHL Player or Forward of the Year honors.

Other finalists were Bismarck curler Ella Fleming and Bismarck wrestler Julia Araujo.