| Melanie Auguste didn’t go on to play professionally, but has a high-level sports marketing position at Nike and still gets to see as many Colorado College basketball games as she wants. Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com |
By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com
A lot of people understand the Jostens Trophy as Division III’s version of the Heisman or the Naismith trophies – representing the best in the sport in a given year. In true Division III, fashion, however, the Jostens Trophy is a little bit more.
The selection panel isn’t just choosing an MVP from the entirety of the division, they’re choosing a men’s and women’s winner from a series of in-depth nominations, encompassing accomplishments on the court, in the classroom, and throughout the community. The Jostens Trophy always goes to a fantastic basketball player, but specifically the one judged to be the best all around contributor to the world at large.
All-time Jostens Trophy winners |
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| Year | Men | Women |
| 1998 | Michael Nogelo, Williams | Alicia Moore, Emory |
| 1999 | Michael Shantz, Hamilton | Kristen Venne, Susquehanna |
| 2000 | Korey Coon, Illinois Wesleyan | Alia Fischer, Washington U. |
| 2001 | David Jannuzzi, Wilkes | Alison Grubbs, Lake Forest |
| 2002 | Adam Jones, Buena Vista | Heather Kile, Swarthmore |
| 2003 | Derek Reich, Chicago | Whitney Bull, Wilkes |
| 2004 | Justin Call, Emory and Henry | Kay Mikolajczak, UW-Oshkosh |
| 2005 | Jon-David Byers, Lebanon Valley | Tara Rohde, Trinity (Texas) |
| 2006 | Chris Braier, Lawrence | Megan Silva, Randolph-Macon |
| 2007 | Ryan Cain, WPI | Lisa Winkle, Calvin |
| 2008 | Troy Ruths, Washington U. | Tarra Richardson, McMurry |
| 2009 | Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT | Melanie Auguste, Colorado College |
| 2010 | Blake Schultz, Williams | Julia Hirssig, UW-Stout |
| 2011 | Steve Djurickovic, Carthage | Elizabeth Sunderhaus, Cedar Crest |
| 2012 | Aris Wurtz, Ripon | Taylor Simpson, Chicago |
| 2013 | Colton Hunt, Randolph | Carissa Verkaik, Calvin |
| 2014 | Richie Bonney, Hobart | Katelyn Fischer, Marymount |
| 2015 | George Bugarinovic, Johns Hopkins | Jess Rheinheimer, Eastern Mennonite |
| 2016 | Trey Bardsley, Nebraska Wesleyan | Holly Denfield, MSOE |
| 2017 | Harrison Blackledge, Hope | Lisa Murphy, Carnegie Mellon |
| 2018 | Nate Axelrod, Ohio Wesleyan | Kaitlyn Read, New York University |
| 2019 | Aston Francis, Wheaton (Ill.) | Madison Temple, Thomas More |
| 2020 | Kena Gilmour, Hamilton | Sydney Kopp, DePauw |
| 2021 | Not awarded | |
| 2022 | Jack Davidson, Wabash | Kenedy Schoonveld, Hope |
| 2023 | Tyson Cruickshank, Wheaton (Ill.) | Elyce Knudsen, Millikin |
| 2024 | Tyler Dearman, Guilford | Aleah Grundahl, UW-Whitewater |
| 2025 | Tate Ivanyo, Anderson | Natalie Bruns, NYU |
Created and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Salem, Virginia, in 1998, and originally part of the celebration of the NCAA Division III relationship to Salem, the long-time home of the men’s basketball Final Four and current host for this season’s women’s basketball championship, the Jostens Trophy has become a storied tradition of its own.
Jostens, the company you might know from your graduation gown or yearbook, sponsors and provides the trophy, a 64 pound behemoth that represents the level of achievement honored. A large group of coaches, administrators, media members, and former winners vote on the award.
Every school in Division III should have been sent information about nominating players for the trophy in mid-January. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 25. Ten finalists for each of the men’s and women’s awards will be announced March 9 and the winners on March 24.
As you look through the long list of past recipients of the Jostens Trophy, you see a diversity of schools and experiences. The stories of where each winner has gone after their playing career ended is even more expansive. You’ll see a lot of familiar names who now coach in Division III and beyond; there is more than one doctor on the list.
An account of each winner would be book length, but I wanted to give Division III a taste of some of the unique stories of past Jostens recipients who’ve achieved success in very different ways:
Trey Bardsley finished a college basketball career about as well as anyone can imagine. In his final four games, in the conference and national tournament, he scored 44, 55, 36, and 39. Of course, this was in the NAIA tournament in the final year of Nebraska Wesleyan’s dual affiliation.
The Prairie Wolves spent a couple decades eligible for both tournaments, but playing in an NAIA conference. Bardsley’s Jostens award winning season was a great re-introduction for a program that went on to win the Division III title just two years later.
Trey wasn’t able to be there with his family as his younger brother got a ring; he was traveling the world losing every game as a member of the Washington Generals.
“Someone from Dakota Wesleyan had ties to the Globetrotters and had given them my name. I went out there and had a really good experience.” And yes, I asked the question. He said, “I was trying to win games. We got close a few times. I don’t know, the Globetrotters may be paying the refs.”
As part of the community service component of his Jostens nomination, Bardsley participated in a local after-school programs and spoke to various school groups about the importance of education. So it’s no surprise that he’s currently a computer science teacher at the combined high school and middle school in Auburn, Nebraska, not far from Beatrice, where he grew up.
“I figured I wanted to go into teaching and coaching after [my playing career], so when I came home I could substitute teach and when I needed to go on the road, I could do that.”
COVID led to a full time transition from General to educator, but it was not the end of Bardsley’s pro career, getting in on the ground floor of the burgeoning 3×3 basketball movement.
“About the same time I transitioned away from the Washington Generals, a guy from California moved to Omaha. A big team at the time was Princeton 3×3 and they ran a lot of that backdoor stuff and that’s what we ran at Wesleyan, so he was reaching out to coaches to see who would be a good fit. My coach, Dale Wellman, gave him my name and it seemed like a good fit. I really fell in love with it.”
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| USA Basketball photo |
At 5-10, an NBA career was never in the cards for Bardsley, but his 47% three point shooting as a senior opened doors, even in 3×3, which tends to draw bigger bodies.
“The key thing is the three point line. In 3×3 the scoring is 1’s and 2’s. My specialty is shooting two-pointers, even if we’re giving up the one-pointers it works out to our advantage.”
Bardsley continues to participate in 3×3 tournaments, although most are in Europe and Asia, requiring a time and financial commitment for a pro job that’s not quite a living wage just yet.
“The goal is to make it a full time thing, to give a salary and make it livable. The last couple years you have a day job and then make a little bit of money playing in these tournaments also. All the other teams from overseas, this is their full time job, they make good money doing it. It’s starting to lean that direction in the US, too.”
3×3 is largely a summer sport, so it fits with Bardsley’s current lifestyle in education and assisting his high school coach, where his college and pro skills come in handy.
“[I love] coaching high school basketball, being able to teach them the little things that you might not notice if you haven’t played at a higher level.”
While Bardsley is not likely to make an Olympic team with 3×3, he’s represented the US in various tournaments and has helped build a sport from the ground up.
Another Jostens winner who’s worked hard building specifically women’s sports is Colorado College alum Melanie Auguste, the 2009 women’s recipient. She was an economics major with a 3.74 GPA and a Rhodes Scholar nominee.
Despite All-American status, 1,500 points and more than 600 career assists, Auguste did not continue her athletic career after graduation, but combined her love and experience in sports with that award-winning business education.
In true Division III fashion, Auguste chose Colorado College for the academics. “I was thinking about what I wanted my long term future to be. If I became a WNBA player, I was only going to make so much money.”
After school, it was a similar consideration. “I went back and forth for a minute about do I want to go overseas and play pro ball; do I not? I went to CC because I wanted to build my career, so I ended up going to law school and business school straight out instead of doing the pro chase. I ended up doing that at UCLA.”
After a couple internships around the sports world, Auguste ended up at Nike, where she’s been working herself up the rankings in marketing and client relations. She recently transitioned to Global VP of Sports Marketing at Nike, where she oversees all athlete relationships among other duties.
This comes after a stint as Global VP and GM of Women’s Sports where she’s helped to shape the growth and visibility of women across all sports and around the world.
“It’s been a dream come true. It’s like a party that you’re waiting for the world to tune into. To be able to be along the journey watching the world tune in. Being in Australia for the World Cup or going to the Olympics in Paris and watching the reaction to the USA [basketball] team. It’s been really special.”
Despite the world travels and high level involvement, Auguste has kept her feet firmly planted in Division III basketball. She regularly returns to CC to teach sports business and scout women’s basketball opponents. She met the current head coach, Katherine Auguste, at a Hall of Fame dinner about a decade ago, and as you may have deduced from the name, they’re now married.
“I don’t know if she would say it’s great all the time having me looking over her shoulder watching film, but I have enjoyed being able to be back, be in it, watch the games, be at as many as I can – hopefully they can pull it out this year and get a conference championship. My whole Nike team, we all have the Colorado College schedule saved, because that usually dictates when I travel.”
Auguste’s story and career is a great parallel to the effort we’re all making to celebrate and spread the word about Division III athletics.
“Obviously as a basketball player, I love that I can walk into any D-III team and watch the teams play and see a few Sabrinas, see a few A’jas. You know that it’s high level at every level, the passion’s there, the love’s there.”
In the end, when I asked Auguste to try and explain her big job, with a big title, the answer sounded pretty familiar.
“I think it’s telling stories. If you think about what drives sports, it’s the stories. So when you market or when you tell a story about something you’re bringing people into it. The more stories you tell, the more people you bring into it. It’s really that simple. Tell people great stories, give them a way to watch it, and watch them tune in.”
We’ll be telling some more great Division III stories as the Jostens process continues for 2026. Make sure you get your nominations in and then pay attention, because you never know where the next winners will end up.