Jostens Trophy winners announced

Steve Djurickovic of Carthage College and Cedar Crest College’s Elizabeth Sunderhaus are the 2011 recipients of the Jostens Trophy.  The annual awards recognize outstanding student-athletes in NCAA Division III basketball for excellence in the classroom, on the playing court and in the community.

The winners were chosen by a national selection committee that consists of college coaches, former athletes, college administrators and selected members of the media. The members of the national selection committee cast their votes based on three criteria: basketball ability, academic prowess and community service.

The awards presentation for the Jostens Trophy is set for March 17 held in conjunction with the Salem Rotary Club's weekly meeting at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va.

"Steve Djurickovic is a quiet, unassuming young man,” said Carthage College president, F. Gregory Campbell.  “He came to Carthage as the coach’s son, fully cognizant of the extra burden that imposes on a young athlete.  He let his talent on the basketball court do the talking, while he simply made friends and contributed to the manifold activities of campus life.  He has won the respect of the entire school for his commitment to his team and to his college.”

A native of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., the senior guard has led the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin in scoring and assists each of his four seasons.  He paced the Red Men this year with 21.8 points per game and 6.6 assists per night.  For his career, he sits atop the Carthage career leaders in points (2,547) and assists (649). 

A recipient of many athletic accolades over the years, Djurickovic has been tabbed to the All-CCIW First Team each of his four seasons.  He also earned the CCIW Fred Young Most Outstanding Player Award in 2010 and 2011.  

In the classroom, Djurickovic is an Exercise and Sport Science major with a minor in Business Administration and sports a 3.52 grade point average. He has been a member of both the Dean’s List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll at Carthage, and a 2011 Capital One Academic All-America First Team pick, as selected by CoSIDA.    

Additionally, Djurickovic has been a four-year volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of Kenosha, one of the larger community service organizations in Southeastern Wisconsin.  He volunteers at the Pleasant Prairie RecPlex, the largest municipal recreational facility in the country.  Djurickovic has also been a member of the Carthage Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).   

"I would certainly point to Lizzy as a role model for any student-athlete, although that might be setting the bar quite high,” said Cedar Crest women's basketball coach Valerie Donohue.  “She is extremely dependable and bright, quiet at times, but warm and energetic once you get to know her.  You’d be hard-pressed to find someone with an unkind word to say about her.  She is a true representation of what a Division III student-athlete should be.”

Sunderhaus just wrapped up an impressive season at Cedar Crest.  A junior center from Hamilton, Ohio, Sunderhaus scored her 1,000th point this year and is just 12 rebounds shy of reaching the 1,000 mark in that category, which will make her just the second player in school history to achieve 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.  She is tied atop the nation’s rebounding charts at 15.6 boards per game, and she leads the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) in scoring at 19.7 points per game.  Sunderhaus is also tied for second in her conference in double-doubles with 21 in 24 games. She is a former CSAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year and Cedar Crest’s first three-time all-conference selection.   

In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Sunderhaus boasts a 3.9735 grade point average as a genetic engineering major with a concentration in forensic science and a minor in chemistry. Sunderhaus is a member of Cedar Crest’s Honors program, for which she must complete additional multidisciplinary coursework beyond her normal course requirements.  She is a member of Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society and will be inducted this spring into the Chi Alpha Sigma National Scholar-Athlete Honor Society and the Delphi Honor Society for GPAs above 3.8.  She has been named to the Dean’s List and the CSAC All-Academic Team each semester of her career.  Sunderhaus has also been an ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team selection.    

Sunderhaus is also a prominent figure within the campus and community. She holds officer positions in several clubs and organizations around campus, including SAAC. In the community, she has worked with youth groups such as Head Start and the Boys and Girls Club, as well as an adult day care facility and a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. At home, she is also a parish volunteer at Queen of Peace church and a member of the Paragon Optimists Society, a service organization that holds breast cancer fund-raisers, sponsors middle school movie nights and conducts a middle school essay contest for which Sunderhaus is a judge.

Previous Jostens Trophy recipients