PELLA--Commemorating the last year of Central College athletics, the Central Student-Athlete Advisory Council hosted the Dutchies Sunday, April 23 inside P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.

For the eighth year in a row, SAAC hosted the Dutchies to honor the best in Dutch athletics from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. Coaches nominated their student-athletes before a seven-member committee whittled it down to four finalists and eventually selecting a winner.
           
The Dutchies handed out nine awards ranging from Male and Female Athlete of the Year to the Moment of the Year.

Freshman Male Athlete of the Year — Pierre Baldwin (Carol Stream, Ill., West Chicago HS) started nearly every match of the season at 141 pounds for the Dutch wrestling team. He posted a 23-7 record, recording three falls. He placed fifth in a loaded weight class at the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional.

Freshman Female Athlete of the Year — In her first appearance at the American Rivers Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, Olivia Bohlen (Belle Plaine) finished second in the pentathlon with 3,170 points. She earned all-region honors based on that performance.

Coaching Staff of the Year — Coming off a 7-17 season, Central was picked to finish eighth in the conference. But in his first season as head coach, Joe Steinkamp engineered a dramatic turnaround. The Dutch finished 18-7 overall and 13-3 on league play to capture the program's 18th conference title. He was named the league's coach of the year.

Male Record-Breaking Performance of the Year — Brock Lewis (grad, Lathrop, Mo.) reset the men's track and field outdoor long jump school record three times in the spring of 2022, finishing with a mark of 24 feet, 10.5 inches at the American Rivers Conference Championships.

Female Record-Breaking Performance of the Year — At the Norse-Kohawk Invitational in September, Delaney Underwood (senior, Mitchellville, Colfax-Mingo HS) shattered the school 18-hole record with a scorching 3-under par 69 at the Fox Ridge Golf Course. That topped her previous career best by five shots. She took medalist honors in the 15-team field with 76-69—145, which also tied the school mark of 73-72—145 set by Sarah Paulson in 2009.

Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year— Thea Lunning (senior, Mason City) not only competed in two sports, she did so in the same season. She placed third in a triathlon dual with Coe Sept. 1, then placed third in the Norse-Kohawk Invitational women's golf tourney Sept. 3-4. She took second in helping Central win the conference women's golf title, then finished 29th at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships and will compete in the NCAA women's golf championships in May. And she does it all while carrying a 4.0 GPA.

Team of the Year — After finishing second in the American Rivers Conference a year ago, the Dutch women's golf team came back determined this year and put on a dominant display at the conference tournament. Central put four players in the top five and winning by 42 shots and gaining an NCAA tournament berth this spring. Lydia Grond (sophomore, Hull, Boyden-Hull HS), the team's No. 5 player, was the conference medalist and Tabitha Schumacher was the coach of the year.

Male Athlete of the Year — Sam Beatty (senior, Mount Pleasant) gained all-America honors with a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III outdoor championships last spring. He was the conference field events performer of the week twice. But that was just the warm-up act. He received the conference athlete of the week award three times during the indoor season en route to securing the Division III individual championship in the high jump.

Female Athlete of the Year — Caroline McMartin (junior, Pella) was one of the nation's best runners throughout the year. Last spring she was an NCAA Division III qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing 13th. She followed up with an all-America performance in cross country, finishing 24th in the snow in Michigan last November after gaining all-conference and all-region distinction as well. And in indoor track and field, she was a three-event national qualifier, making the field in the mile, 3,000 meters and distance medley relay and setting school records in all three. She also carried a 4.0 grade point average, gaining academic all-conference and USTFCCCA academic cross country and track and field honors.

Moment of the Year— Central's men's basketball team needed a victory in the regular-season finale to secure an outright conference championship, but had to play on the road against a Simpson College squad that was battling to gain a spot in the conference tournament. The Dutch were down 74-73 after a Simpson basket with just 20 seconds left. But Central raced up the court and guard Kade Terrell (fifth year, Montrose, Colo.) took a pass from Grant Johnson (senior, Van Meter) and drove to the basket flinging an off-balance shot off the glass and drawing a foul for an outright title-winning and-one with 4 seconds left.