Central SAAC hosts seventh-annual Dutchies
PELLA–Commemorating the last year of Central College athletics, the Central Student-Athlete Advisory Council hosted the Dutchies this past Sunday night inside P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium.
For the seventh year in a row, SAAC hosted the Dutchies to honor the best in Dutch athletics from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. 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 — In his freshman season last spring, men’s golfer Harold Dobernecker (Nevada) earned All-American Rivers Conference with a sixth-place finish at the league championship meet. He was also the conference’s men’s golfer of the week after winning the Central Dutch Shootout on April 22. He was named the team’s Ryerson Most Valuable Performer.
Freshman Female Athlete of the Year— Franie Burnett (Ankeny, Centennial HS) burst on to the Central softball scene as first team all-conference right fielder. She also was named to the NFCA All-Midwest Region second team and was chosen as the team’s Newcomer of the Year. Over 31 games last spring, Burnett hit .393 and drove in 25 runs. She blasted a pair of home runs and stole 15 bases.
Coaching Staff of the Year and Team of the Year — Led by the 2021 American Football Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year Jeff McMartin, the Dutch football team and its coaching staff were awarded Dutchies. Central was 12-1, including a 10-0 regular season, the program’s fourth undefeated regular season campaign of the McMartin era. Central won its second consecutive conference championships, winning the title outright after sharing it in 2019. It was a record 32nd league title for the Dutch, who also secured the program’s 22nd NCAA Division III playoff berth. Central scored playoff victories in the first two rounds before being ousted in the quarterfinals.
Male Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year— Junior Sam Beatty (Mount Pleasant) started 23 of 24 games for the Dutch basketball team, averaging 9.1 points per game and 27.5 minutes per game. A week after the basketball season ended, Beatty placed second in the conference indoor high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 7.5 inches. He qualified for the national meet, finishing 13th.
Female Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year — An all-conference volleyball player during the fall season, Krissa Larson (senior, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) also earned all-conference honors in the pentathlon at the indoor league meet. Larson had 108 kills in 31 sets of conference matches, good for an average of 3.48 kills per set. She also recorded a hitting percentage of .303. Larson was the third-place finisher in the pentathlon with 2,929 points.
Male Athlete of the Year — In a year in which he was named the American Rivers Conference MVP, a first-team All-American and Gagliardi Trophy honoree as the top football player in NCAA Division III, Blaine Hawkins added one more honor as the Male Athlete of the Year at Central. He set an NCAA all-divisions record with 63 touchdown passes this season. In 13 games, he completed 331 of 468 passes (70.7%) for 4,475 yards and eight interceptions while posting a passing efficiency rating of 192.1. He also rushed for 230 yards and five touchdowns on 83 carries.
Female Athlete of the Year — Last spring, Kiki Pingel (Pella) qualified for her first NCAA Division III heptathlon, where she finished 11th in a star-studded field. At the American Rivers Conference Outdoor Championships two weeks earlier, Pingel placed second in the 100-meter hurdles and third in the long jump and earned all-conference honors in both events. She earned USTFCCCA All-Central Region honors in the heptathlon and 100 hurdles.
Moment of the Year— In an NCAA Division III second round playoff game, the Central College football team marched down the field late in the fourth quarter trailing 28-24. Hawkins found wide receiver Tanner Schminke (senior, Boone) on a 3-yard TD pass as time expired for a 30-28 win over Wheaton College (Ill.).
