Northwestern College in Orange City announced the recipients of its annual athletics department and N-Dubs awards for the 2025–26 academic year, recognizing student-athletes who demonstrated exceptional achievement on and off the field.
The top individual honors — the Vander Stoep Awards — were presented to Zavyr Metzger of the women's volleyball program and Braden Kalvelage of the men's track and field team. The Vander Stoep Awards are Northwestern's most prestigious athletic honors, recognizing the female and male student-athletes who best exemplify the college's values of athletic excellence, academic achievement, sportsmanship, and community involvement.
Metzger was recognized for her contributions to the Northwestern volleyball program, which has been a consistent competitor in the NAIA Great Plains Athletic Conference. Kalvelage was honored for his performance in track and field, where he represented Northwestern at the national level.
Additional department awards were presented across Northwestern's 22 varsity sports programs, recognizing athletes, teams, and coaches for their contributions during the season. The awards ceremony brought together the college's athletic community to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2025–26 year.
Northwestern College competes in the NAIA and fields teams across a wide range of sports, with a strong tradition of athletic success combined with the college's emphasis on character development and academic excellence.