-- Story provided by Calvin University Athletics --
Calvin senior Gabby Timmer is one of 10 women's basketball finalists for the prestigious Jostens Trophy.
The award is considered the highest individual honor in Division III basketball.
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 2023 season marks the 25th time the Jostens Trophy honors will be awarded.
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.
The finalists will now be reviewed by the Jostens Trophy National Selection Committee. The 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 23.
"We are thrilled and honored to see Gabby included as one of the 10 finalists for the Jostens Trophy," said Calvin head women's basketball coach Mark Christner. "She is a tremendous student, athlete and person and it is wonderful to see her work over the last five years recognized on a national stage."
Timmer recently wrapped up a standout five-year career with the Calvin women's basketball program.
During the 2022-23 season, she led the Knights in scoring (17.9 points per game), rebounding (10.3 per game) and blocked shots (2.3 per game) on 52.3 percent shooting from the field. Her rebounding and blocked shot numbers were good enough to lead the MIAA, along with her 19 double-doubles. She finished second in the conference in scoring.
This season was a record-breaking campaign for Timmer, who broke the Calvin record for career rebounds (1,156) while becoming the second player in program history to score at least 2,000 points on the way to 2,036 points for her career. She also is one of only four players in program history with at least 200 career blocks.
For her career, Timmer finished with averages of 17.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 117 games (116 starts). She is also a 12-time MIAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week.
In the classroom, she has received Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Communicators, earning Third Team Academic All-America honors in 2022 and Second Team Academic All-America honors in 2023 while majoring in elementary education and health education.
This January, she was hired by Rockford Christian School as a paraprofessional as she completes her degree requirements. In addition, she has served as a teacher at Dutton Christian Schools while balancing the demands of her academic and athletic pursuits.
As a member of the Calvin community, she has volunteered for Calvin's athletics department golf outing (held after school is out), has led campus Bible studies and has devoted time working for Kids Food Basket; an organization that works to provide food equity in West Michigan. As a team captain in 2021-22 she was a member of our SAAC at Calvin, discussing ways to improve the student-athlete experience here at Calvin.
Also named as finalists for the women's Jostens Trophy are Kendis Butler (Penn State-Harrisburg), Lexi Dellinger (Anderson), Elyce Knudsen (Millikin), Emily Lauer (Allegheny), Shannon McCoy (Kean), Isabella Mills (Case Western Reserve), Jessie Ruden (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), Elizabeth Singleton (Clarks Summit), Katie Titus (Rochester).
Calvin has had two members of its women's basketball program go on to receive the Jostens Trophy Award – Lisa Winkle in 2007 and Carissa Verkaik in 2013.
