Simpson Athletics celebrates 2023-24 at All-Sports Banquet
INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College Athletic Department celebrated all the athletic and academic successes of the 2023-24 athletic year last night at its third annual All-Sports Banquet.
Softball senior Maddie Luderman and soccer senior Ronaldo Ordaz were the recipients of the department's Sarah Crosby and John Wesley Awards of Excellence, which are awarded to the male and female athletes who best represent Simpson's core values of discovery, access, citizenship, belonging, justice and integrity. Chaplain Mara Bailey presented both awards.
Women's cross country and track and field captured the Whalen Community Service Award after tallying more than 165 volunteer hours in Indianola and the surrounding areas. From hosting a tailgate at The Village, to helping at local elementary schools, libraries, and hospitals, both programs were constantly looking for ways to make a difference.
Women's tennis and softball earned the department's Academic Excellence trophies for boasting the highest team grade point average in the 2023 spring and fall semesters. Softball earned the recognition out of teams larger than 20 athletes, while women's tennis secured the small team trophy for the second year in a row. Both programs achieved a 3.64 cumulative GPA for the two semesters. Faculty Athletics Representative Kedron Bardwell presented both trophies.
Lincoln Swanson was honored as the first-ever Student-Athlete Fan of the Year. No matter the weather, the season, or the sport, Swanson - aka the Banana Man - can always be seen cheering on Storm athletes in the crowd.
Director of Athletics Communication Emma Christensen was voted the department's Staff Member of the Year. From writing recaps late at night to taking stats and trouble-shooting livestreams for Storm supporters, Christensen is one of many staff members who gives their all to make the student-athlete experience the very best it can be.
Bianca Clemons of the Storm women's basketball and track and field teams was honored as this year's Barb Overton Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion. Clemons serves as a student representative on the Committee for Academic Diversity and Inclusion, regularly attends DEI-related campus engagement opportunities, and has given time on the BIPOC+ Coalition. Overton presented the award along with Keyah Levy and Ashlan Barton.
Maddie Hays of the Storm women's soccer and track and field teams was recognized as the 2023-24 Sports Medicine Comeback Player of the Year by Assistant Athletic Trainer Kayley Weiland. Hays sustained a quad injury during the 2022 soccer preseason that held her out for most of her sophomore season. Through diligent rehab and training, Hays was able to join the track team last spring and then started and played in all 19 games for women's soccer this fall. She was instrumental in the success of the Storm women's soccer team this fall and missed out on qualifying for indoor trakc nationals this winter by 1/100 of a second.
Women's volleyball's Blayne Koster and football's Zach Truitt were named the Sports Performance Athletes of the Year by Director of Sports Performance Sam Schmitz. Koster and Truitt were recognized for putting in the time and effort outside of their scheduled lift times as well as exemplifying what it means to be a complete sports performance athlete through a holistic approach.
All student-athletes in attendance watched and voted on the 2023-24 Play/Performance of the Year from a group of eight finalists. Coming away with the most votes was Kaelyn Tally of the women's gymnastics team, who lifted the Storm to their first meet win in program history with a career-high 9.750 on floor back on March 25. Watch Tally's performance as well as the other seven finalists by clicking here.
Each head coach selected one student athlete to receive the Golden Thunder Award for their program. Athletes were chosen for a number of reasons including being the unsung hero of the team, having an excellent academic career, serving as a positive role model on campus, overcoming adversity, displaying great improvement, etc. A full list of recipients is below.
The department also revealed finalists for a number of its annual ESPY awards, including male and female newcomers of the year as well as male and female athletes of the year. Award winners will be announced in the summer following the completion of spring sports.
Sarah Crosby Award of Excellence
Maddie Luderman, softball
John Wesley Award of Excellence
Ronaldo Ordaz, men's soccer
Whalen Community Service Award
Women's Cross Country and Track and Field
2023 Academic Excellence Award - Small Team Division
Women's Tennis
2023 Academic Excellence Award - Large Team Division
Softball
Student-Athlete Fan of the Year
Lincoln Swanson, men's basketball
Staff Member of the Year
Emma Christensen, director of athletics communication
Barb Overton Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion
Bianca Clemons, women's basketball and track and field
Sports Medicine Comeback Player of the Year
Maddie Hays, women's soccer and track and field
Sports Performance Athletes of the Year
Blayne Koster, women's volleyball
Zach Truitt, football
Play/Performance of the Year
Kaelyn Tally, women's gymnastics
Golden Thunder Recipients
Baseball - Joel Sampson
Men's Basketball - Easton Darling
Women's Basketball - Bianca Clemons
Cheer - Grace Wood
Men's Cross Country - Marc Medici
Women's Cross Country - Paige Kaltschnee
Dance - Bobbie Schechinger
Football - Nic Warrington
Men's Golf - Lane Sundberg
Women's Golf - Joann Martin
Men's Gymnastics - Charlie Schneider
Women's Gymnastics - Annie Angus
Shooting Sports - Wyatt Heisterkamp
Men's Soccer - Ronaldo Ordaz
Women's Soccer - Hannah Hron
Softball - Maddie Luderman
Men's Swimming & Diving - Nathan Parkins
Women's Swimming & Diving - Katie Oosterhuis
Men's Tennis - Grant Love
Women's Tennis - Maggie Hall
Men's Track & Field - Ulysses Patterson
Women's Track & Field - Audrey Arnold
Men's Volleyball - Anthony Potratz
Women's Volleyball - Peyton Mitchell
Men's Wrestling - Shane Mathias
Women's Wrestling - Keeley Kehrli
