Photos by Doug Sasse, Deon McFarland, d3photography.com

Postseason basketball awards are rolling out across the country at all levels of the collegiate game. Two honors recognizing the best in NCAA Division III are the latest to hit news feeds with the announcement of the 2024 Jostens Trophy recipients. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater forward Aleah Grundahl is the winner of this year's women's prize, while Guilford College guard Tyler Dearman collects the men's hardware.

This season marks the 26th edition of the Jostens Trophy, presented annually by the Rotary Club of Salem, Va. The Jostens Trophy is designed 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.

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, for his long-time dedication to Division III athletics.

The winners were chosen by a 29-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, select members of the Division III media, and one ballot determined by fan voting on D3hoops.com.

“I believe Aleah is in a class of her own as a Division III student-athlete,” expressed UW-Whitewater Director of Athletics Ryan Callahan in his letter of support for Grundahl’s nomination. “Her career accomplishments, along with her success in the classroom, strong leadership qualities and community involvement, are worthy of this recognition.”

Grundahl, a native of DeForest, Wisconsin, is the most decorated player in Warhawks women’s basketball history. The 2022-23 WBCA Player of the Year is now a six-time All-American, adding WBCA and D3hoops.com laurels this season to dual awards in 2022-23 and 2021-22. Grundahl became the first player in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference history to win three straight WIAC Player of the Year awards. She was also named the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The 2022-23 UW-Whitewater Student-Athlete of the Year has twice been honored as the Region 9 Player of the Year by D3hoops.com.

Grundahl is both the UW-Whitewater and WIAC all-time leader scorer for women’s basketball. She will graduate having registered 1,952 points at a 15.4 per-game average. This season, Grundahl broke both the single-season and single-game program records for points. She finished the year with 613 markers at a 20.4 per-game average, the latter tying the UWW single-season record. In a 73-67 win over conference foe UW-La Crosse, Grundahl set a program record with 39 points on 11-of-16 from the field and 15-of-16 from the line. Grundahl’s final campaign included a trip to the Division III quarterfinals for the fifth time in program history. The Warhawks went 25-5 this season and 107-24 (.817) in her career. Grundahl played in 127 of those 131 games, all starts.

In the classroom, Grundahl maintains a 3.55 grade point average as an elementary education major with a minor in special education. She has earned five selections to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll as well as four appointments each to the Wisconsin-Whitewater Honor Roll, Dean’s List, and as a Chancellor’s Scholar.

Leadership and service are second nature to the Warhawks’ two-time captain. She is a four-year member of the Wisconsin-Whitewater SAAC and two years as a recreation sports administrative assistant. The past four years, Grundahl has volunteered her time at Fairhaven Senior Services. She completed her student-teaching assignments in 2023 and began substitute teaching in 2024.

“Not only a tremendous basketball player, but a standout student, leader, and individual, I believe you will find, as we have discovered over the past five years at Guilford College, Tyler perfectly embodies this honor,” described Guilford athletic director Bill Foti in a letter of support for his nomination. “Tyler is a kind and thoughtful man. He never refrains from showing gratitude and appreciation for the opportunities he’s been afforded.”

Dearman, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, capped a stellar career on the hardwood with a third appointment as an All-ODAC honoree as well as the Kurt Axe Memorial Player of the Year and ODAC Defensive Player of the Year this season. He earned his first two All-American awards this season, garnering NABC First Team laurels and D3hoops.com Second Team plaudits. Dearman led Guilford to the Division III semifinals for the third time in program history.

Dearman was a foundational piece of a Quakers defense that topped Division III in points allowed (56.3/game). He led the ODAC in steals (75), powered by an ODAC single-game record 11 swipes in the first game of the season. Dearman averaged 20.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while dishing out 93 assists. He posted three 30-plus point games including a career-best 36 in an 87-70 victory over Berry College in Guilford’s NCAA opener. Dearman closes his career having scored 1,723 points at a 15.2 per-game average. He also pulled down 617 boards, dished out 219 assists, and registered 222 steals, the latter marking a Guilford program record. Dearman’s teams went 86-27 (.761). He played in all 113 games with 75 starts.

In the classroom, Dearman maintained a 3.41 undergraduate grade point average as a sports management major with a minor in communications. He owns a 3.81 GPA in Guilford’s Master’s of International Sport Management program. He is a multi-year honoree on the ODAC All-Academic Team.

Dearman has enjoyed several community service and leadership endeavors as well as professional experience. Dearman volunteered his time on numerous occasions at local area schools to read to elementary school students. He has also worked with high school basketball players as a team camp worker. Dearman has had several internships and professional opportunities in the local sports industry including the ACC, Greensboro Grasshoppers (minor league baseball), and with Guilford sports information. He has also worked with the Metropolitan United Methodist Church and is a member of Guilford’s Black Student Union.

All-time Jostens Trophy winners