Dominican Grad Receives NACC Student-Athlete of the Year Honor

Dominican University men’s soccer player Mikolaj (Nick) Kowalczyk ‘23 has been named the G. Steven Larson Student-Athlete of the Year for 2022-23 men’s sports by the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC).

The award recognizes athletes for athletic excellence, academic achievement, service, and leadership.

Kowalczyk was a midfielder with Dominican’s men’s soccer team, which captured regular season and tournament titles in 2019 and South Division regular season and tournament titles during the 2021 season.

Graduating summa cum laude with a double major in accounting and finance, he was a Mazzuchelli Scholar, named to the Dean’s List eight times, and recognized by the NACC as a scholar-athlete four times. He served on the Dominican University Presidential Search Committee, was a peer tutor, and coached Polish youth soccer clubs.

Kowalczyk is currently a junior portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley and is also involved in the operation of his family’s home improvement retail business.

“多米尼加已经让我在很多positions to grow and do more than I thought I was capable of,” he said. “Athletics is a prime example of that. I came in as a freshman, I was able to get playing time and I became captain. I knew I could go far if I pushed myself.”

Kowalczyk credited the coaching staff and his teammates for his success — and the success of the entire team — on the field.

“It’s always nice to have a good support system around you,” he said.

Kowalczyk was a four-time all-conference selection, earning first-team honors in fall 2021, South Division honors in spring 2021, and second-team recognition in both 2019 and 2022. He was recognized in 2021 by United Soccer Coaches as a third-team all-region selection.

Kowalczyk is the third Dominican athlete to receive the G. Steven Larson Student-Athlete of the Year Award in its 16-year history.

Each of the NACC's 13 coeducational members may nominate one male student-athlete for the annual award.