Hastings College Athletics celebrated the accomplishments of student-athletes at its Bronco Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (BESPY) Awards on Monday, May 5, at the Hastings City Auditorium.
The event was organized by the Association of Student Athletes (ASA) and the Hastings College Athletic Department, with members of ASA voting on and presenting a number of the awards.
In addition to the students and teams shown below, students receiving All Conference, All American and other awards were recognized as groups during the ceremony.
Photos from the event, which are free to download, are available here.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Female Rookie of the Year — McKenna Yates of McCool Junction, Nebraska, Women’s Basketball
Given to a female student-athlete who competed in her first season as a Hastings College Bronco and was an integral part of her program’s success.
Yates earned GPAC All-Conference First Team, GPAC Freshman of the Year and was a national qualifier. She played 33 games in which she started in all of them. She averaged 11.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and had the second highest free throw percentage, at 79.7 percent, on the team.
Male Rookie of the Year — Tim Berger of Koenigsfeld, Germany, Men’s Soccer
Given to a male student-athlete who competed in his first season as a Hastings College Bronco and was an integral part of his program’s success.
Berger earned GPAC All-Conference First Team honors. He was a national qualifier, started 17 of the 20 games he played, had 11 goals, 4 assists, 59 shots, a .186 shot percentage and went 1-1 on penalty kicks and had three game-winning goals.
Female Senior of the Year — Kiernan Paulk of Wood River, Nebraska, Women’s Basketball
Presented to a female student-athlete who completed her senior season during the 2024-25 year. This student-athlete was a standout for their program and contributed to their program’s success throughout the year.
Paulk earned GPAC All-Conference Honorable Mention, was a national qualifier, NAIA Scholar-Athlete and CSC Academic All-District. She played in 33 games, and averaged 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and led the team by making 80.9 percent of her free throws. Paulk led the second shift with heart, which was an instrumental part in propelling the program to the final site for nationals.
Male Senior of the Year — DJ Schroeder, Colfax, Illinois, Football
Presented to a male student-athlete who completed his senior season during the 2024-25 year. This student-athlete was a standout for their program and contributed to their program’s success throughout the year.
Schroeder earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors. He played in five games, had four catches, 28 receiving yards and one pass break-up. Schroeder battled injury throughout his career, but remained a leader with the program and a mentor for younger teammates.
Supporter of the Year — Rhonda Royer from Hastings College Dining
Given to an individual who consistently supports Bronco athletics, whether with attendance at events, monetary donations, academic support or mentoring of student-athletes.
Royer greets all Hastings College students and student-athletes with a genuine hello every time they walk into the dining hall. She attends many home athletic events and is always asking how a competition went. She takes time to get to know all students, and is an integral part in the Hastings College experience.
Faculty/Staff of the Year — Carissa Uhrmacher and Kim Graviette of Career Services
This is awarded to a Hastings College faculty or staff member who goes above and beyond to support our student-athletes.
Uhrmacher and Graviette work hard to prepare all student-athletes for life after sports, diligently working to help students find their place in the Hastings College community and beyond.
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year — Grace Branson of Lawrence, Kansas, Volleyball; Riley Clavel of Roy, New Mexico, Women’s Basketball; Savana Kascak of Thornton, Colorado, Women’s Basketball; Riley Lanning of Glendale, Arizona, Women’s Golf; and Lauren Stull of Walton, Nebraska, Women’s Soccer
Given to the female student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA of those eligible for graduation. This year, we had a record of five recipients.
Male Scholar Athletes of the Year — Paul Bierman of Omaha, Nebraska, Men’s Basketball; Vince Byrne of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Baseball; Jackson McGinnis of Central City, Nebraska, Men’s Basketball; Chayten Srai of Ingleby Barwick, England, Men’s Soccer; and Cullen Buscher of Bennington, Nebraska, Men’s Golf
Given to the male student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA of those eligible for graduation. This year, we had a record of five recipients.
Female Athlete of the Year — Majesta Valasek of Broken Bow, Nebraska, Women’s Volleyball
Given to a student-athlete who has been an integral part of their program’s success during the year. This BESPY is based on athletic ability and direct individual impact on their program.
Valasek was named the GPAC All-Conference First Team, GPAC Attacker of the Week twice, NAIA Scholar-Athlete and CSC Academic All-District. She played in 87 sets in 26 matches, had 3.89 kills per set and a .214 hitting percentage. She is second in school history for single-season kills per set.
Male Athlete of the Year — Gabe Escalera of Sahuarita, Arizona, Men’s Golf
Given to a student-athlete who has been an integral part of their program’s success during the year. This BESPY is based on athletic ability and direct individual impact on their program.
Escalera excelled as a staple in building the Hastings College Men’s Golf program. He finished each of the last two seasons as the highest ranked individual in the GPAC according to Scoreboard Rankings, including a runner up finish two weeks ago at the GPAC Championships. He played in 46 career tournaments and 107 career tournament rounds, with a career scoring average of 73.9. He earned All-Conference honors three times and currently holds eight individual school records and is a part of five team school records.
Female Bronco Athlete of the Year — Reagen Gallaway of Kearney, Nebraska, Women’s Wrestling
Awarded to a female student-athlete who has embodied everything it means to be a Bronco. Recipients exhibit sportsmanship, dedication to their athletic performance and academic excellence and active community engagement.
Gallaway embodies everything it means to be a Bronco on the wrestling mat, in the classroom and in the community. She made history this year by becoming Hastings College’s first ever semi-finalist for women’s wrestling at the national tournament, going on to place fourth, the team’s highest place finish in school history, and earning All-American honors for the second time. She also became a two-time individual conference champ, after only spending two minutes on the wrestling mat at the tournament. She is extremely passionate about the sport of wrestling in her own competitive career, but also gives back to the younger generation by coaching youth dual teams and being an assistant coach for Adams Central High School, which had the most state qualifiers in school history this year. Gallaway is a well known figure in the wrestling community and so many little girls look up to her or have started the sport because of her.
Male Bronco Athlete of the Year — Gabe Escalara of Sahuarita, Arizona, Men’s Golf
Awarded to the male student-athlete who has embodied everything it means to be a Bronco. Recipients exhibit sportsmanship, dedication to their athletic performance and academic excellence and active community engagement.
Escalara has embodied everything that being a Bronco should mean as a student athlete. He has been incredible on the golf course and took on a leadership position very early on in his career, continually pushing his teammates to be better. When he arrived on campus, there were only three eligible players and the team was ranked #162 in the NAIA. Now, the program has grown to 24 students and reached, at one point this season, #18 in the NAIA. The practice and preparation for this has been strenuous and the driver of the ship for most of it has been Escalera. Although the roster size is large and only five get to travel, he has helped develop a team environment all players want to be a part of, regardless of where they are on the depth chart. He also supports other athletic programs by attending baseball, football, basketball, soccer and volleyball games when he is not on the road or focused on practicing.
Coach of the Year — Jina Douglas, Women’s Basketball
Awarded to a coach who has gone above and beyond to ensure the success of their student-athletes both in and out of competition. This BESPY can be awarded to any coach who interacts with student-athletes.
Highlight/Play of the Year — Katyn Kappler of Hastings, Nebraska, Softball for her walk off homerun to advance to the GPAC tournament
Awarded for a singular moment during competition that was the most remarkable, compelling or entertaining during the year.
TEAM AWARDS
Comeback Team of the Year — Women’s Basketball
Awarded to the team that has the biggest increase in success, whether that be compared to last season or a mid-season turnaround for this year.
Best Celebration — Women’s Basketball NAIA Round of 32 locker room celebration
Given to the team or individual who had an exciting, entertaining or unique celebration during a single moment during the year.
Female Team of the Year — Women’s Basketball
Given to the women’s team that has the most athletic success during competition throughout the 2024-25 season.
Male Team of the Year — Men’s Soccer
Given to the men’s team that has the most athletic success during competition throughout the 2024-25 season.
Scholar Team of the Year — Women’s Golf
Presented to the team with the highest cumulative team GPA for the 2024-25 academic year.
Bronco Athletic Cup — Women’s Basketball
Awarded to the athletic program that has continually represented what it means to be a Bronco throughout the year. This program has shown pride in being Broncos by exhibiting excellent sportsmanship, remaining dedicated to their performance in both academics and athletics, continually working to make a difference in the Hastings community and their constant support of other programs.
The Women’s Basketball team was in the top five for all four of these categories. They finished fourth out of all 23 programs with total community service hours; posted a team cumulative GPA of 3.68, which is the third highest for athletic programs; tied for second with Bronco Cup points for their continuous support of other programs throughout the year; and had an impressive athletic season, finishing the year with 25 wins, six individuals named to all conference teams including the freshman and coach of the year, and working their way to the final site of the national tournament.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Discover more at hastings.edu.
