KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northeastern State men's soccer's Ryan McCully has been named one of five male finalists for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association's (MIAA) Ken B. Jones Award, presented by Summit Pointe Financial Group. The finalists will be recognized at the 2023 MIAA Awards Celebration on Tuesday, June 6, in the Music Hall at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo.

McCully, a December graduate from Wichita, Kan. closed out a five-year career with the RiverHawks with 78 matches played and has been a fixture on the Starting XI since his sophomore campaign. He was a member of the program's NCAA Round of 16 run as a freshman in 2018 and was named team captain at the start of the 2021 season.

Following the 2023 season, McCully was an All-Region selection by the coaches and media and took College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America First Team honors. McCully is the only three-time CSC Academic All-America in department history and was selected for the GAC/MIAA Elite Scholar-Athlete award twice for having the highest grade point average in the conference's postseason.

During his time at NSU, McCully held the position of president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Under his guidance, he successfully planned and executed the annual "Trunk or Treat" event, which was recognized with the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence in 2022.  McCully was a men's soccer recipient of a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship which is awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

McCully is the third finalist from NSU to be named a finalist for the Ken B. Jones Award. He joined Blake Freeman (Baseball 2022) and Eric Crawford (Men's Soccer, 2016).

Below is a list of the 2022-23 Ken B. Jones finalists as well as more information on the Ken B. Jones award.

2022-23 Female Finalists
Morgan Brasser – Golf – Fort Hays State
Auna Childress – Track & Field – Pittsburg State
Mackenzie Dimarco – Soccer – Emporia State
Sydni Hawkins – Softball – Missouri Western 
Madi Wulfekotter – Track & Field – Central Missouri 

2022-23 Male Finalists
Dalton Abney – Wrestling – Central Oklahoma 
Ryan McCully – Soccer – Northeastern State
Matthew Oglesby – Cross Country/Track & Field – Pittsburg State
Ryan Stanley – Track & Field – Fort Hays State
Luke Stuckey – Cross Country/Track & Field – Nebraska Kearney

About the Ken B. Jones Award:
The Ken B. Jones Award is named after the MIAA's first full-time commissioner and recognizes the conference's top Female and Male Student-Athlete. Mr. Jones was appointed league commissioner in 1981 and the inaugural award, in his honor, began in the 1993-94 academic year.

Each institution may nominate one female and one male student-athlete. The nominees must have completed at least their junior season of athletics eligibility by June 1 of the academic year of nomination. A nominee must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average through the previous full semester term through February 1 of the academic year of nomination at the certifying member institution.

A 13-member committee comprised of one administrator from each MIAA institution and the conference office ranks each candidate based on excellence in three categories: Athletic Achievement in that academic year, Career Academic Achievements and Community/Campus Service during the Academic Year. The committee announces its five finalists 14 days before naming its winner at the annual MIAA Awards Celebration.