Case Western Reserve University senior guard Sam Trunley was named one of the 10 men's finalists for the 2025 Jostens Trophy, recognizing the most outstanding men's and women's Division III basketball players of the year.
This is the second consecutive year that a CWRU men's basketball player has been named one of the 10 finalists after former Spartan Anthony Mazzeo was recognized last year. Trunley is the fourth player in program history to be named a finalist for the Jostens Trophy along with Mazzeo, Dane McLoughlin (2015), and David Thompson (2014).
Created by the Rotary Club of Salem and sponsored by Jostens, Inc., the award focuses on three major criteria: basketball ability, academic prowess, and service to one's surrounding communities. The Jostens Trophy models the Rotary International motto of "Service Above Self" by recognizing those who truly fit the ideal of a well-rounded Division III student-athlete. The 2025 season marks the 27th time the Jostens Trophy honors have been awarded.
Trunley, who was an All-University Athletic Association Second Team honoree in 2024-25, finished the season second among conference players in points per game both overall (23.5) and in conference games (23.0). His points per game total is also the seventh-best among all Division III players in 2024-25. Trunley made 43.7% of his shots overall, including 36.5% from three-point range, while his 88.3% mark from the free throw line was the 24th-highest among Division III players during the year. He added 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while collecting 34 steals and blocking four shots.
Trunley broke his own school record with a 51-point showing against Carnegie Mellon in his final collegiate game on March 1. The showing was a UAA record for points in a conference game and catapulted him to a school-record 587 points for the campaign, while his 1,195 career points rank 11th in program history. Trunley was named the UAA Athlete of the Week on four occasions this year and was selected twice to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week.
As a history and political science major, Trunley has recorded a cumulative 3.575 GPA during his time at CWRU. He is a two-time CSC Academic All-District honoree and has been recognized as a UAA Winter All-Academic honoree three times. Trunley was named to the NABC Honors Court in 2024, while being named to the Dean's Honor List four times, including two semesters on the High Honor List.
Trunley is a two-time captain of the team and a member of Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law fraternity. He has also participated in numerous service activities, including organizing food drives and running basketball clinics for underprivileged children.
The other nine men's finalists are Ryan Broeckel (Wisconsin Lutheran College), Hayden Doyle (Washington University in St. Louis), Scott Gyimesi (Tufts University), Tate Ivanyo (Anderson University), Hank Morgan (Hamilton College), Jordan Oates (Salisbury University), Logan Pearson (University of Wisconsin-Platteville), Aamari Smith (Whittier College), and Jack Spellman (Stevens Institute of Technology).
The Rotary Club of Salem is responsible for the initial review of the nominees, which it conducts over a two-week period. The Club's Jostens Trophy Committee objectively reviews the nominees and uses a numerical system to pare down the pools to an initial list of 20 finalists -- 10 for the men's award and 10 for the women's trophy.
The finalists will now be reviewed by the Jostens Trophy National Selection Committee. The committee is composed of men and women from across the country. The committee features current and former athletic administrators and head coaches, past Jostens Trophy recipients, and select members of the Division III media.
The committee will spend the next week-plus reviewing the nominees with the aim of announcing the two winners the week following both national championship events.
The Spartans finished the season with a 9-16 overall record, including a 5-9 mark in UAA games.
