Anderson University senior Tate Ivanyo has been named as the 2025 men’s basketball Jostens Trophy Winner, 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.
“I could not be more excited to see Tate win the Jostens Trophy,” AU Coach Carter Collins said. “Tate and I have been talking about this since his sophomore year, and it is awesome to see it come to fruition. At the same time, it’s not the least bit surprising – when I wrote Tate’s letter of recommendation for the award, I ended with, ‘This is my 12th season as a member of a Division Three program, and I can say with absolute certainty that there is nobody in the country more deserving of the Jostens Trophy than Tate Ivanyo. 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.’”
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In addition to the Trophy, a $1,000 Wooldridge Scholarship 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, 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.
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. 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.
Ivanyo closed his career by participating in the NABC All-Star Game in Fort Wayne. 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.
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In the classroom, Ivanyo boasts 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.
“I am extremely grateful and honored to have been selected for this award,” Ivanyo said. “I want to thank God for putting me in this position and surrounding me with amazing people that have allowed me to be successful and grow. I am thankful for my coaches, teammates and professors for always believing in me and pushing me to be the best version of myself. I also want to thank my friends, family and girlfriend for always being there for me and supporting me throughout my life.”
