The college basketball awards season continues with the announcement of the best student-athletes in the sport in NCAA Division III. New York University graduate student Natlie Bruns and Anderson senior Tate Ivanyo are the 2025 Jostens Trophy recipients, as announced by the Rotary Club of Salem, Virginia, on Wednesday afternoon.

This season marks the 27th 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 former Salem Rotarian and the first commissioner that founded the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), for his long-time dedication to Division III athletics.

The winners were chosen by a 30-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.

Bruns is the sixth women's basketball winner from the University Athletic Association, while Ivanyo is the first men's winner from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

About Natalie Bruns

“Whether she is on the basketball court or in the classroom, Natalie consistently demonstrates her commitment to putting the best version of herself into everything she does,” expressed NYU Director of Athletics, Jake Olkkola, in a written letter supporting Bruns' nomination. "This inspires everyone around her to seek the same thing in themselves."

Bruns, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the most decorated players in Division III women's basketball history, let alone in the program story for NYU. The now two-time Division III champion is also a two-time honoree as the Division III Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association of America (WBCA) and two-time Player of the Year by D3hoops.com. She also earned the NCAA Elite 90 Award in a banquet presentation in Roanoke last week, honoring the championship-site particant with the highest grade point average.

The three-time WBCA All-American was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) at each of the past two national championship sites for her efforts in helping the Violets win back-to-back Division III titles. NYU is currently on a 62-game winning streak, the longest active stretch of wins by any NCAA program by 43 victories. Bruns is the NYU all-time record-holder in career blocked shots (328) and is sixth in points scored (1,661). This season, she averaged 17.2 points and 6.5 rebounds while blocking 91 shots, handing out 163 assists, and pulling away 63 steals. Scoring, assists, and steals were all career-high figures for a star that boasts career averages of 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds with 251 assists and 186 steals go with her record blocked shots and scoring totals.

In the classroom, Bruns graduated with a Bachelor's degree in business and technology management and is now working towards a Master's in cyber security. She posted a 3.96 undergraduate GPA and owns a 4.0 average in her graduate studies. She is a four-time University Athletic Association (UAA) All-Academic honoree in addition to being the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Women's Basketball. She is the recipient of the 2024 NYU Russ Hamberger Award, given to a graduating student-athlete who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to volunteer work and to the NYU community, in addition to academic excellence and athletic prowess.

Bruns' civic and leadership contributions are numerous. Through the Tandon Athletic Collective, she directed strategic planning efforts to build community among the 50 student-athletes enrolled in the engineering school. She also communicated and planned with the athletic administration and academic leads to plan community gatherings and alumni networking events. She was a volunteer with Grow Our Game, an organization that introduces and provides access to basketball for girls in underserved communities throughout NYC. Bruns assisted with the NYU Varsity Performance Center, was a technology intern for The Cook Group, a brand partnerships and marketing intern for SLAM Media Inc., and was a technology intern for SportsNet New York.

About Tate Ivanyo

“This is my 12th season as a member of a Division III program, and I can say with absolute certainty that there is nobody in the country more deserving of the Jostens Trophy than Tate Ivanyo," expressed Carter Collins, men's basketball head coach at Anderson, in a letter supporting Ivanyo's nomination. "At most, he may have an equal, but I’d be surprised even by that. I cannot overstate how closely the description of the Jostens Trophy aligns with the Tate I have come to know over the last four years.”

Ivanyo, a native of Valparaiso, Indiana., has received numerous postseason awards over the past week-plus following an outstanding senior season for the Ravens. He has twice been honored as an All-American this year, earning First Team All-American distinction from the National Associate of Basketball Coaches (NABC) -- he was a Second Team choice in 2022-23 -- and Fifth Team All-American laurels from D3hoops.com. The three-time All-HCAC First Team honoree is two-time recipient of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year awards, pairing this season's honor with his 2022-23 recognition.

The NABC further recognized Ivanyo as the District 8 Player of the Year, highlighting six total all-region/district plaudits from the NABC and D3hoops.com. Ivanyo closed his career by participating in the NABC All-Star Game at the finals site in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This season, he averaged 20.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to go with 69 assists and 52 steals. He will graduate as the school-record holder in career three-pointers made (255) and attempted (635), while his 1,755 points are third in school history and first in Anderson's Division III era. He went 258-of-301 from foul line, making his .857 career free throw shooting percentage fourth in AU history.

In the classroom, Ivanyo as much if not more than on the basketball court, boasting a 3.99 grade point average as a biology major. A member of the Anderson Honors Program, Ivanyo has received a perfect "A" in 30-of-31 courses completed. He has already accepted a spot in Marian University's Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine for next academic year, marking acceptance at one of the top medical schools in the Midwest. 

As is customary with Jostens Trophy winners, Ivanyo's civic and leadership engagements are numerous. He has volunteered at multiple Special Olympics events including bowling, bocce, and outside of the athletic arena at trivia events. He has also been a volunteer at local food drives, but also in aiding the AU basketball team with a trip to the Dominican Republic. He spends time over the summer helping youth players develop their basketball skills in practice and camp settings. Invanyo is a three-time captain of the Ravens' basketball team. He serves as a team representative on the Anderson Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has attended a leadership conference with SAAC. He is treasurer of the pre-professional health society.

All-time Jostens Trophy winners