Central SAAC hosts 10th-annual Dutchies

Twelve awards handed out Sunday night

by Joseph Flaherty

Pella, IA (04/28/2025) — PELLA--Commemorating the last year of Central College athletics, the Central Student-Athlete Advisory Council hosted the Dutchies Sunday, April 27 inside P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.

For the 10th year in a row, SAAC hosted the Dutchies to honor the best in Dutch athletics from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025. Coaches nominated their student-athletes before a six-member committee whittled it down to four finalists and eventually selected a winner.

The Dutchies handed out 12 awards ranging from Male and Female Athlete of the Year to the Moment of the Year.

Freshman Male Athlete of the Year - Owen Schipper (freshman, Waukee) started all 29 games for the Dutch men's basketball team, averaging 11.8 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. He was chosen for second team American Rivers All-Conference honors.

Freshman Female Athlete of the Year - Addie Koritz (freshman, Clinton, Ill.) competed at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships. She finished 10th among NCAA Division III athletes to secure second team All-American honors.

Coaching Staff of the Year - After her team took third amongst NCAA Division III programs at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships, the best finish in program history, coach Jennie Hedrick-Rozenberg was picked as the Division III Coach of the Year.

Moment of the Year- In the opening game of the NCAA Division III Softball Super Regional in McMinnville, Oregon, freshman catcher Rylee Dunkin (Hamilton, Twin Cedars HS) rocketed a two-run, two-out single to right field in the 11th inning as Central defeated No. 1 Linfield University 4-2.

Male Record-Breaking Performance of the Year -A three-time All-American for the Dutch men's basketball team, Joshua Van Gorp (fifth year, Pella, Pella Christian HS) scored 634 points in his final season to cap his career with 1,991 points to become the program's all-time scoring leader.

Female Record-Breaking Performance of the Year -In the finals of the 400-meter dash at the 2024 American Rivers Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Abbi Roerdink (Tiffin, Ohio, Hopewell-Loudon HS) won the race in a school-record time of 55.75 seconds.

Male Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year- A sixth-place finish in the decathlon at the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships was the first All-American honor of Gavin Smith's (junior, Audubon) career. He added another when he was cited as a second team All-American by the Associated Press as a corner back with the football team.

Female Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year- Addison Parrott (senior, Danville) became Central's first female to win an American Rivers Conference cross country title, outpacing the field by 30 seconds. She also finished seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Student Impact - A four -year student coach with the Dutch football team, Kelby Burger (West Branch) was honored for his dedication and contribution to the program as an unheralded member of the team.

Male Athlete of the Year - Joshua Van Gorp (fifth year, Pella, Pella Christian HS) led Division III men's basketball with 266 field goals and a field goal percentage of 68 percent. He averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and was picked as a first team All-American by D3hoops.com and a third team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Female Athlete of the Year - Megan Johnson (Parkersburg, Aplington-Parkersburg HS) won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, becoming the first Dutch woman to win an individual title in track and field since 2007. She also was the American Rivers Conference Track Events MVP after winning two events and fishing runner-up in a third at the league championship meet.

Team of the Year - Finishing its season with a 33-13 overall record and 13 wins in the American Rivers Conference, the Dutch softball team won its 14th conference title and advanced to the Super Regional with its first regional title since 2015.

Joshua

Van Gorp