SALEM, Va. -- On Thursday, March 24, Hope College's Kenedy Schoonveld was announced as the 2022 Jostens Trophy women's basketball recipient. Schoonveld is the fourth Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) basketball player to receive this prestigious honor and the first MIAA women's basketball player since 2013.
“I want to congratulate all of the other finalists, who I know are outstanding people and athletes, and who were all very deserving of this award,” Schoonveld stated. “I am so thankful to my coaches, teammates, family, and friends who have all pushed me to be the best person and player that I can be. I could not have done this without them.”
"In my 26 years as the head coach at Hope College, Kenedy Schoonveld is the best player I've ever coached," commented Hope head coach Brian Morehouse. "The real beauty to Kenedy lies in her work off the court, serving the at-risk population through her work with local social work organizations, her work with students with special needs, as well as serving for a summer in Africa at an orphanage."
Schoonveld was tabbed Player of the Year by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and D3hoops.com, as well as an All-American by both organizations. The fifth-year senior guard closed her collegiate chapter by leading the Flying Dutch to their first national championship title since 2006. Schoonveld became a three-time MIAA Most Valuable Player and a five-time First Team All-MIAA honoree this season, concluding the season with a total of 141 field goals, a .491 field-goal percentage, a three-point field-goal percentage of .418, and 367 points.
“The real beauty to Kenedy lies in her work off the court, serving the at-risk population through her work with local social work organizations, her work with students with special needs, as well as serving for a summer in Africa at an orphanage,” Morehouse said.
In the community, Schoonveld assisted with Special Olympics for three years and spent three years at a Miracle League baseball and softball facility. She also served as Vice President of the Phi Alpha social work honor society and served in a dementia unit at Resthaven Good Shepherd's Home. Schoonveld spent a summer in Africa interning at the Beautiful Gate Lesotho Childcare Centre, which provides residential care for infants and children.
On the academic side, Schoonveld boasts a grade-point average of 3.8. She will continue her education in pursuit of a graduate degree in social work at Baylor University. Schoonveld is a four-time member of the MIAA Honor Roll (min. GPA of 3.3) and received CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors last year. Schoonveld was selected as the 2021 Sheila Wallace Kovalchik Female Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, which is deemed the highest honor for an MIAA student-athlete. This accolade recognizes female seniors who have excelled in academics and athletics, as well as displayed outstanding leadership in their respective communities.
The Jostens Trophy honors 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 have been awarded.
In addition to the Trophy, the Wooldridge Scholarship, a $1,000 donation, will be presented in the names of the winners to their institutions. The scholarship is named after Dan Wooldridge, a Salem Rotarian and the retired commissioner that founded the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), for his long-time dedication to Division III athletics.
The winners were chosen by a 27-person national selection committee 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 members of the national selection committee cast their votes based on three criteria: basketball ability, academic prowess, and community service.
MIAA Basketball Players Recognized with Jostens Trophy
2007 - Lisa Winkle, Calvin
2013 - Carissa Verkaik, Calvin
2017 - Harrison Blackledge, Hope
2022 - Kenedy Schoonveld, Hope
