Calvin’s Lisa Winkle and Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Ryan Cain Named 2007 Jostens Trophy Recipients

March 6, 2007

Contact: Brad Bankston, (brad@odaconline.com) or James Nekoloff (jnekoloff@odaconline.com)

Salem, Va. – Lisa Winkle of Calvin College (MIch.) and Ryan Cain of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Mass.) are the 2007 recipients of the Jostens Trophy, recognizing the outstanding student-athletes in Division III basketball. 

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 15 held in conjunction with the Salem Rotary Club weekly meeting at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.

Winkle Excels in 2006-07

“This is a tremendous honor for Lisa and for Calvin College,” said Calvin women’s basketball coach John Ross. “She has been such a big part of our women’s basketball program over the last four years and I am thrilled to see her recognized like this. She is well-respected by her teammates and fellow Calvin classmates so I know that this is a thrill for them as well.”

A native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids South Christian High School, Winkle has been a stalwart for the Calvin women’s basketball team over the last four years, averaging 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds a game over the course of her career.

Heading into an NCAA III Tournament National Semi-quarterfinal game with Southern Maine Friday night, Winkle has 1,684 points and 1,009 rebounds in her career and is Calvin’ career leader in both categories. This year she is averaging 14.1 points and 10.0 rebounds a game. She is currently ranked eighth nationally in field goal percentage (.574). In addition, Winkle has notched double-digits in scoring in 100 of a possible 114 games in her Calvin career and has 46 double-double efforts including 16 double-doubles this year.

At an NCAA III Regional tournament last weekend in Wilmington, Ohio, Winkle had back-to-back double-double efforts, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a 53-38 first round win over Thomas More (KY) and following with 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 73-67 win over Wilmington in the second round on Saturday night.

A four-time first team All-MIAA selection, Winkle was named the MIAA’s MVP for the second straight year this past month. Winkle is the only four-time first team all-conference selection in MIAA women’s basketball history.

In the classroom, Winkle carries a 3.966 grade point average while majoring in mathematics and secondary education. She has been a three-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team last year and to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first this year. She has already accepted a position as a math teacher at South Christian High School for next fall.

Winkle has also been heavily involved in community service work while at Calvin. As a Calvin student, she has served as a volunteer tutor in both the Wyoming Godfrey Lee and Grand Rapids Public School systems. She has also served as a volunteer boys basketball coach on Saturday mornings in the Ada Christian Elementary School Pure Play program and served as a Sunday school teacher at Hillside Community Church.

Cain Completes Magnificent Career

WPI’s Cain, a native of Webster, Mass., played a pivotal role in transforming WPI's men's basketball team into a regional and national powerhouse. Over the past four years, the team has had an impressive 89-20 record, has won four straight NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) regular season championships and two NEWMAC tournament titles, and appeared in the last three NCAA Division III championships. Cain, who was recently named NEWMAC Player of the Year, became WPI's all-time leading scorer during the regular season finale on Feb. 17, surpassing the 1,757-point mark set by Orville Bailey '85. Averaging nearly 20 points per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field (despite facing constant double teams and special defenses), he finished his WPI career with 1,813 points.

This year, Cain became the first student-athlete during WPI Head Coach Christopher Bartley's six years at WPI to be named a preseason All-American by D3Hoops.com. He earned NEWMAC Rookie of the Year accolades as a freshman, was chosen NEWMAC Player of the Year as a sophomore, and was named an All-New England by D3Hoops.com and the ECAC as a junior.

Bartley attributes the success of the 6'1", 170-pound guard to his remarkable drive to succeed. "He has the best work ethic of any player I have ever seen in any team sport at any level," Bartley says. "He has such an enthusiasm for improvement and willingness to sacrifice his body for the sport he loves so much. He is a true overachiever and self-made player with the discipline of a great champion."

Off the court, Cain, a civil and environmental engineering major, has excelled in the classroom and made an impressive mark in the community. For his required science, technology and society project, he completed a study of green engineering in the automotive industry. For his major project, he worked with a team of students to design affordable manufactured single-family homes for low-income families. The homes can also be used to provide ready, low-cost housing for families displaced by natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

Cain has been active in a number of community service activities, most notably the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization of Central Massachusetts. The men's team became involved in the program in Cain's freshman year. For four years, Cain has put in countless hours as a Big Brother to a student at Elm Park Community School, often going out of his way to put in extra time with his Little Brother outside of his regular program responsibilities.

"At WPI, we place as much emphasis on our students’ character as on their intellect, and by either of these measures, Ryan shines," WPI President Dennis Berkey noted in a letter nominating Cain for the Jostens Trophy. "Whether in the classroom, in competition, or in service to the greater Worcester community, Ryan represents both the highest ideals of the student-athlete and the very heart of a WPI education, which prepares our students for leadership in the real world."

Jostens Trophy Celebrates 10^th Anniversary
The Josten’s Trophy is a joint creation of Jostens, Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn., and the Rotary Club of Salem, Va. The purpose of the award is to honor the true Division III student-athlete – the athlete that shows excellence in the classroom, on the playing floor and in the community. In addition to the Trophy, the Wooldridge Scholarship, a $1,000 donation, will be presented in the name of the winner to his/her institution. The scholarship was named after Dan Wooldridge, a Salem Rotarian and retired Commissioner of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, as a way of honoring him for his long-time dedication to Division III athletics.

** Minneapolis-based Jostens is a leading provider of products and services that help recognize achievement and affiliation throughout people’s lives. The company specializes in championships rings and awards in addition to yearbooks, class rings, graduation products, school photography and corporate programs.