(Photo courtesy of Dordt University)
Dordt University senior Macy Sievers has been named the recipient of the NAIA’s 2025 Emil S. Liston Award for women’s basketball, announced Monday as part of the organization’s National Awards Day for the 2024-25 school year.
Sievers, a senior from Newell-Fonda High School (Iowa), will graduate with a degree in elementary education and has maintained a 3.87 grade point average. She is the first student-athlete in Dordt history to receive this national honor.
The Emil S. Liston Award, presented by Daktronics, recognizes academic and athletic excellence among junior student-athletes in men’s and women’s basketball. Named in honor of the NAIA’s first executive secretary and a key figure in the creation of the NAIA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the award has been presented annually since 1950 to one junior men’s and one junior women’s basketball student-athlete. Each recipient receives a $1,000 scholarship.
“Macy is one of the most driven and unique individuals I have had the privilege to coach,” said Head Coach Bill Harmsen. “She passionately serves her community, develops deep relationships with her teammates, and pursues excellence on the basketball floor like few others. Macy loves and serves her teammates well — not for personal accolades, but to give them her best daily.”
Sievers has helped lead the Defenders to back-to-back NAIA National Championships (2024, 2025) and three consecutive GPAC titles. Over the past three seasons, Dordt has posted a 100-8 overall record and 61-5 mark in GPAC play. Individually,
Sievers has scored 1,315 career points (8th all-time), collected 694 rebounds (13th), handed out a school-record 732 assists, and tallied 279 steals (2nd all-time).
“Macy excels in the classroom just as she does on the basketball court,” said Professor Gwen Marra. “She’s a hard-working, responsible student who takes her professional responsibilities seriously. Even during basketball’s long season, she remains organized and dedicated to both teaching and basketball.”
