DE PERE – St. Norbert College hosted its annual Norby Awards ceremony last week in the Walter Theater, celebrating the accomplishments and athletic excellence of Green Knights student-athletes.
A multitude of awards were presented throughout the night, honoring not just the dedication of athletic ability and accomplishment, but also the incredible academic achievements of the 2025-26 school year.
Below is the list of awards and their corresponding winners.
Freshman of the Year: Braydon Beahm (Men's Hockey) and Kamdan Johnson (Women's Track & Field)
Beahm opened his collegiate career with seven goals in his first seven career games, scoring once in each outing. He had the second most goals among rookies in the Division III ranks and led the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association in the category. He totaled 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points and was named an All-NCHA Freshman Team selection.
Johnson broke several school records in her first year with the Green Knights, including the 60-meter hurdles, which is also an all-time Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with a time of 8.97 seconds. Along with four NACC Athlete of the Week honors, she was named the conference's women's freshman of the meet at the NACC Indoor Championship.
Academic Athlete of the Year: Kade Nelson (Men's Volleyball/Men's Track & Field) and Mari Szews (Women's Volleyball)
Nelson is a dual sport athlete with a 3.94 grade point average in accounting and finance, having been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team twice.
Szews has maintained a 4.0 grade point average all four years at St. Norbert in education and social studies, being named to the CSC Academic All-District Team twice. Additionally, she is a two-time All-NACC selection.
Steve Wilmet Award: Ezra Schermacher (Men's Track & Field)
The Steve Wilmet Award was created in honor of Steve Wilmet '69, who was inducted into the St. Norbert Hall of Fame in 1987 as a member of the football and baseball teams. The award was created to recognize male student-athletes who exemplify strength of character in addition to excelling in athletics and academics.
Schermacher (pictured on the left with Steve Wilmet '69) was named the NACC's Men's Field Athlete of the Meet at the Indoor and Outdoor Conference Championship and has been named with 14 Athlete of the Week awards in his career. Additionally, he is a two-time first-team and second-team All-American, qualifying for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in four events and will likely be selected for the upcoming NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship in La Crosse.
Becky Dickhut Award: Grace Wittkopf (Women's Hockey)
The Becky Dickhut Award was created in honor of Becky Dickhut '82, who was inducted into the St. Norbert Hall of Fame in 2001. The award was created to recognize female student-athletes who exemplify strength of character in addition to excelling in athletics and academics.
Wittkopf has been a team captain for women's hockey for two seasons and moved to forward having began her career as a defender. She led the team in points with 21 points this season, scoring 10 goals and providing 11 assists. Additionally, she has served as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee's (SAAC) leadership team and secretary.
Comeback Athlete of the Year: Payton Ponteras (Football) and Ella Wiese (Women's Basketball)
Both Ponteras and Wiese fought back from injuries this season. After tearing his pectoral muscle during spring training last year, Ponteras returned after missing the first two games of the 2025 season. In his first game back, he forced two turnovers in St. Norbert's 59-28 win over Concordia University Chicago, one of which was a pick-six, his first collegiate interception. He was named the NACC's Defensive Player of the Week and named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week following his performance.
Wiese returned to the hardwood following a torn achillies, which took her out of the entire 2024-25 season. This season, she appeared in seven games and scored 13 points off the bench.
Most Valuable Player: Jacob Klitzke (Men's Track & Field) and Taylor Thiry (Women's Basketball)
A seven-time NACC Field Athlete of the Week selection this season alone, Klitzke qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship taking ninth in the shot put and earning second team All-American status. He currently is fourth the outdoor rankings in the same event and will likely be headed to the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championship in several weeks.
Thiry is one of the greatest to ever put on a St. Norbert jersey for women's basketball. A back-to-back NACC Player of the Year, including this season, she surpassed 1,000 career points and finished with 1,366 points over four years, the fourth most in program history. This season, she averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per game. She was also named a first-team All-Region selection by D3Hoops.com.
Synergy Strength and Conditioning Award: Men's Basketball and Women's Soccer
Awards were presented by head performance coach Scotty Smith.
Power Play of the Year: Men's Hockey and Women's Basketball
This award is given to teams who had a remarkable moment, play or upset that was not expected.
Tied 4-4 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament against University of New England, the Green Knights advanced with mere seconds left when Jack Christen scored the game-winner in the program's final game at the Cornerstone Community Center's Rink 1 to send the building into a frenzy. The Green Knights will play in the state-of-the-art Schneider Family Arena beginning next season.
Women's Basketball played in one of the most memorable games in recent memory against Aurora University in a NACC semifinal, trailing for most of the first half before storming back and sending the game to overtime thanks to a hook shot from Taylor Thiry with six seconds remaining. A late free-throw with 21 seconds left in the extra period was enough to send the Green Knights to the NACC Championship game.
Green Knight Game Award: Baseball
The Green Knight Game award is awarded to the team that had the most athletes attend green knight games throughout the year. This award is intended to highlight the importance of supporting other teams and showing school spirit.
JoAnn Krueger Staff Member of the Year: Mike Wallerich (Assistant Athletic Director/Head Baseball Coach)
The JoAnn Kruger award highlights a member of athletics staff that goes above and beyond the call of duty for St. Norbert. The recipient of this award is an example of what a coach/athletics staff member can and should be, proudly serving our student-athletes and community.
Presented by Krueger herself and prefaced with a presentation speech by Assistant Director of Athletics Communications Nathaniel Duncan, Wallerich earned his prestigious honor for his commitment to St. Norbert athletics, helping hundreds of student-athletes stay eligible for competition.
The Norby Award: Davis Vega (Men's Soccer) and Larissa Huffman (Women's Track & Field/Women's Basketball)
The Norby award is presented to an athlete who exhibits exemplary school spirit and embodies what it means to be a Green Knight.
Both Vega and Huffman were selected by their peers for this unique honor.
Team of the Year: Men's Hockey and Dance
Men's hockey compiled a 22-7-2 record and won its 18th Harris Cup with a 3-1 win over Aurora University in the championship game. The Green Knights won a 5-4 thriller over New England in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition.
The dance team (pictured with Director of Athletics Cam Fuller) won the grand national collegiate championship this year, placing third in the college jazz category and capturing the first place award for collegiate pom. The team was also awarded the academic excellence award by the judges.
