SALEM, Va. --- The Jostens Trophy awards have long been coveted prizes in NCAA Division III men's and women's basketball by both student-athletes and their collegiate institutions. The honors were not presented in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are one step closer to learning who will lift the hardware in 2022 with the announcement of 22 finalists on Friday afternoon by the Rotary Club of Salem, Va.
The Jostens Trophy honors - one for men's basketball and one for women's basketball - are national awards created by the Rotary Club of Salem and sponsored by Jostens, Inc., to recognize the most outstanding men's and women's Division III basketball players of the year. The awards focus on three major criteria: basketball ability, academic prowess, and service to one's surrounding communities. The Jostens Trophy models the Rotary International motto of "Service Above Self" by recognizing those who truly fit the ideal of a well-rounded Division III student-athlete. The 2022 season marks the 24th time the Jostens Trophy honors will be awarded.
RELATED: Past Jostens Trophy Winners and Finalists
The year hiatus did not limit the desire for institutions to put forth their best student-athletes for the awards with a record number of nominees populating both pools. The Rotary Club of Salem is responsible for the initial review of the nominees, which it conducts over a two-week period. The Club's Jostens Trophy Committee objectively reviews the nominees and uses a numerical system to pare down the pools to an initial list of 20 finalists -- 10 for the men's award and 10 for the women's trophy.
This season, the initial vetting process resulted in ties for the final position for both sets of finalists. The 22 finalists will now be reviewed by the Jostens Trophy National Selection Committee. The 27-person committee is composed of men and women from across the country. The committee features current and former athletic administrators and head coaches, past Jostens Trophy recipients, and select members of the Division III media. The committee will spend the next two weeks reviewing the nominees with the aim of announcing the two winners on Thursday, March 24.
Listed below are the finalists for the 2022 Jostens Trophy awards (listed alphabetically by last name):
| WOMEN'S FINALISTS | MEN'S FINALISTS | ||
| Hanna Geistfeld, Bethany Lutheran College | Nyameye Adom, Wheaton College (Ill.) | ||
| Averi Jordan, DeSales University | Buzz Anthony, Randolph-Macon College | ||
| Abbey Lawrence, Case Western Reserve University | Nick Bowman, Trine University | ||
| Shannon McCoy, Kean University | Jack Davidson, Wabash College | ||
| Diarra Oden, Johns Hopkins University | Conner Delaney, Johns Hopkins University | ||
| Leah Porath, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Robert Hawkinson, New York University | ||
| Kenedy Schoonveld, Hope College | Jordan Johnson, Concordia University Wisconsin | ||
| Elizabeth Singleton, Clarks Summit University | Matthew Leritz, Illinois Wesleyan University | ||
| Rylee Stafford, Fontbonne University | Luke Rogers, Tufts University | ||
| Jenna Taylor, Simpson College | Dempsey Roggenbuck, Linfield University | ||
| Olivia Weinel, Shenandoah University | Matthew Schner, Emory University | ||
| - - - - - - - - - - - - | |||
Additional information on the award can be found at www.odaconline.com/jostens