CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has nominated University of Dubuque track & field student-athlete Otis Patterson for the 2025 Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) Student-Athletes of the Year.

Patterson (Chicago, Ill. / Harold L. Richards) graduated with a degree in communications and a perfect 4.0 GPA. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Management with a concentration in Sport Management, maintaining a 3.92 GPA. He was a CSC First-Team Academic All-American in 2024 and 2025 and earned Third-Team honors in 2023. Patterson earned All-America honors at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships with a sixth-place finish in the 4x400 relay. He was named A-R-C Indoor and Outdoor Track Most Valuable Performer and later placed 10th in the 400 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning Second-Team All-America honors.

In the community, Patterson was active with UD Spartans Make a Difference Day, Park-Clean-a-Thon, and the River Bend Food Pantry. On campus, he was a Wendt Character Scholar and member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society.

To be eligible for the DIIICA award, nominees must be graduating seniors or graduates who have not previously been nominated. Conferences may submit up to two nominations per gender, provided at least one nominee is an international student-athlete or ethnic minority. Division III is divided into ten regions, each selecting one female and one male regional award recipient. Those honorees will advance to the DIIICA Awards Committee for national consideration.

The A-R-C nominees will compete for regional honors against student-athletes from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), Midwest Conference (MWC), Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC), and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).

The announcement of regional award recipients is scheduled for August 21, with national honorees to be revealed on September 4.