(Peru, Neb.) – Peru State football student-athlete Noah Kasbohm (Nebraska City) has been named the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) male recipient of the A.O. Duer award. The honor was announced at the Heart Summit held Monday in Olathe, Kan.
 
Kasbohm noted he is honored to be named as the Heart's A.O. Duer Award winner and nominee for national consideration.  He said, "I am truly honored to have been selected as the Heart A.O. Duer award recipient. To be put in the same category as Chaz Dunn, Gunnar Orcutt, Marisa Pribnow, Logan Paben, Mallory Hull, Carrie Lierz, and Mitch Boshart is extremely humbling. I am thankful for everything Peru State has done for me these past few years and I hope I can continue the legacy of excellence that has been firmly established by these former student-athletes. I would also like to thank my family, friends, coaches, teammates, and professors for everything, as you all have helped shape me into the person I am today."
 
The NAIA's A.O. Duer Award is named in honor of the NAIA's former executive secretary for his 26 years of service to the association. It has been presented to one male and one female junior student-athlete in any sport who has excelled in scholarship, character, and citizenship.

 
In order to be nominated, a student-athlete must be certified by the College's registrar as having an overall grade point average of at least 3.75 (on a 4.00 scale) and must have attained junior standing academically. Each NAIA athletic conference may select a nominee to be considered for the national honor which will be announced on the NAIA National Awards Day in September.
   
Kasbohm, a senior-to-be biochemical science major, has a cumulative 3.95 grade point average through five semesters at Peru State. Some of his academic achievements include being on the President's List for two semester, Dean's List for three semesters, and has been a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, as well as, being a Heart Scholar-Athlete this past year. He transferred to Peru State from Southwest Minnesota State following his first semester as a freshman.
 
He has been a member of the football team for three years and was the back-up quarterback last season.
 
Kasbohm's community service is one thing that stands out as he has assisted with Kids Against Hunger, Stella Arboretum clean-up, Peru and Brownville City-Wide Clean-ups, Feeding 44, Auburn Backpack Program, and the Peru Flood Relief. In addition, he has been the leading fundraiser for the Bobcat football program the past two years.
 
Athletically, Kasbohm was selected as a Bobcat Elite leader and most recently was selected as a member of the Football Leadership Council. Academically, he was nominated to join the Alpha Chi National College Honorary Society. Kasbohm was selected for the Beta Beta Beta Biological Science National Honor Society and recently was elected as the secretary for the local chapter.
 
One of his professors, Dr. Judy Grotrian, who recently retired, noted in her nomination letter, "In my classroom, his (Noah) work ethic was superb. Noah was extremely organized. This was illustrated by him because he went above and beyond in the classroom by thoroughly completing his assignments accurately and on time. His attendance in the classroom was superb, and he had an outstanding willingness to be committed to excellence."
 
Associate professor of biology, Dr. Gul Ahmad, stated, "Noah Kasbohm is one of those exceptional students who is on a football scholarship but still on the top of his class academically. For the past year he is working as an independent undergraduate research student in my laboratory. Although an undergraduate student, he has the abilities to run an experiment, analyze and present the data at the level of a graduate student."
 
One of his employers, Robert Anderson, the director of operations for Girl Scouts adventure team supplied the following comment, "Noah has established himself as a leader on the adventure team. Others on the team look to him for help and support due to his knowledge and skill set he has developed."
 
Head football coach Steve Schneider and coaching assistant Lou Varley also both noted Kasbohm's leadership on and off the field.
 
Kasbohm's nomination has been forwarded by the conference to the NAIA national office for judging with the other conference nominees. The winner will be announced in September as part of the NAIA National Awards Day.