FREELAND, Mich. -- The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) announced Hope College's Kenedy Schoonveld as the recipient of the 2021 Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Female Scholar-Athlete Award.
Deemed the highest honor for an MIAA female student-athlete, the Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Female Scholar-Athlete Award recognizes female seniors who have excelled in academics and athletics, as well as displayed outstanding leadership in their respective communities. The award honors former MIAA Commissioner Sheila Wallace Kovalchik, who served the conference as commissioner from 1991 to 2002.
A total of seven outstanding female student-athletes were nominated for the award this year. “All seven nominees were very impressive and made the decision difficult this year,” commented MIAA Commissioner Penny Allen-Cook. “Kenedy is more than deserving of this award. Her passion -- not only on the court but in the classroom and community -- really shines through and is an inspiration to all who have seen her in action.”
Zeeland native Kenedy Schoonveld is a graduate of Holland Christian High School. She is the daughter of Tim and Lisa Schoonveld.
Schoonveld has served as team captain of the Flying Dutch basketball team since October of 2018. During her four years on the team, she assisted the women's basketball program to an overall won-loss record of 98-7 that included two MIAA regular-season championships and one co-championship, three MIAA Tournament titles, a trip to the NCAA DIII Elite Eight in 2018, the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019, and the sectional round in 2020 (remainder of the tournament and the 2021 tournament canceled due to COVID-19).
Hope finished the 2020 and 2021 seasons undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the final D3hoops polls. The program's current 45-game winning streak is the eighth-longest in NCAA Division III history and a school record.
The senior guard has been named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player for two consecutive seasons (2020, 2021) and is a four-time First Team All-MIAA selection. Additionally, Schoonveld is a two-time WBCA First Team All-American (2020, 2021), a two-time D3hoops.com Second Team All-American (2020, 2021), and a two-time D3hoops.com Co-Great Lakes Regional Player of the Year (2020, 2021).
As a freshman, Shoonveld was selected as the D3hoops.com Co-Great Lakes Rookie of the Year. She started all 31 games and assisted the Flying Dutch to a 29-2 overall record, along with a trip to the national quarterfinals. Schoonveld had three of Hope's 20-point games during her rookie season, including a team-best 25 during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She concluded her fourth year with 1,112 career points (ranked 10th all-time at Hope), a .803 free-throw percentage (155-of-193 | 7th), and 418 field goals made (12th).
In the classroom, Schoonveld boasts a 3.84 grade-point average while majoring in Social Work and minoring in Spanish. She has been on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for three straight years (2018-20) and was named CoSIDA Academic All-American® in 2021.
In 2020-21, Schoonveld served as the Vice President of the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society and also spent her time as a foster care/adoption intern. Schoonveld has volunteered with both the Special Olympics and the Miracle League for three years (2017-20), as well as in the dementia unit of the Resthaven Good Shepherd's Home in 2018-19. In addition, she worked at Hope as an athletic game day worker and a fieldhouse building worker both for four years (2017-21).
Also nominated for the award were:
Hannah Chao, Calvin University
Grace Hearth, Alma College
Hannah Kampmann, Trine University
Giavanna Paradiso, Saint Mary's College
Hailey Scott, Adrian College
Chelsie Smith, Olivet College
Hannah Wolfe, Kalamazoo College
