THE ROCKY'S STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARDS BANQUET
The Iowa Western Athletic Department hosted its 5th edition of The Rocky's Student-Athlete Awards Banquet on May 4th, 2026.
Reiver Athletics celebrated its top individual athletic and academic achievements and its six team national championships from the 2025 Spring and 2025-26 Fall and Winter seasons. IWCC recognized 27 individuals and four teams throughout the evening.
Awards for The Rocky's are based on the past 12 months and honor the accomplishments of the 2025 Spring sports, baseball, softball, golf, track & field, and all of the 2025-26 Fall and Winter sports.
The event concluded with The Moment of the Year award which was voted on by the student-athletes at the beginning of the banquet.
2025-26 The Rocky's - Awards recipients:
Female Academic Student-Athlete of the Year: Honoka Nohara & Hinami Ogushi - Women's Soccer
Male Academic Student-Athlete of the Year: Daniel Cannon - Esports
Small Academic Team of the Year: Women's Shotgun Sports 3.714 GPA
Large Academic Team of the Year: Women's Soccer 3.721 GPA
Outstanding Reiver Awards:
- Owen Baxter - Baseball
- Skylar Benjamin - Women's Golf
- Pierre Carlier - Men's Track & Field
- Esthefany Contreras-Suarez - Women's Bowling
- Andrew Gassman - Cheerleading
- Aniyah Howard - Women's Basketball
- Caden Johnson - Men's Soccer
- Alyssa Kulesa - Women's Cross Country
- Karson Lea - Shotgun Sports
- Honoka Nohara - Women's Soccer
- Tony Palmer - Men's Wrestling
- Kendall Picolet - Volleyball
- Flynn Pumpa - Men's Cross Country
- Jacob Robison - Men's Bowling
- Juliana Sakat - Women's Track & Field
- Isadora Costa - Dance
- Kyle St. Cyr - Men's Swimming
- Logan Sullivan - Esports
- Taylin Tabor - Softball
- Judah Vignery - Men's Basketball
- Emily Walters - Women's Swimming
- Sam Wells - Men's Golf
Doug Goodman Award: Caden Johnson - Men's Soccer
Dr. Dan D. Kinney Award: Emily Walters - Women's Swimming
Perseverance Award: Madelo Deng - Men's Basketball
Female Iron Reiver Award: Kaci Miller - Softball
Male Iron Reiver Award: Sam Wells - Men's Golf
Hampton's Community Service Award: Men's Basketball
Assistant Coach of the Year: De'Quaan Haggerty - Men's Basketball
Head Coach of the Year: Scott Strohmeier - Football
Female Athlete of the Year: Juliana Sakat - Women's XC/Track & Field
Male Athlete of the Year: Sam Brunel - Men's Swimming & Tony Palmer - Men's Wrestling and Football
Employee of the Year: Joe Clark - Director of Resident Life
Moment of the Year: Women's Track & Field's Third Straight Indoor Title
The Doug Goodman Award, Dr. Dan D. Kinney Award and Outstanding Reiver Award
An active member of the Iowa Western and Council Bluffs community, Doug Goodman served on the IWCC Board of Trustees for 14 years. He was a founding member of the Reiver Wrestling program and was named Iowa Western Community College's Outstanding Alumnus in 2012. He and his wife Deb chaired the college's Black Tie Harvest for Scholarships and both have been avid supporters of Iowa Western.
Dr. Dan D. Kinney served as Iowa Western's President from 1995 to 2020 and during his tenure, he oversaw the implimentation of seven women's athletic programs.
The Outstanding Reiver Award recognizes individuals who excel on the field and in the classroom, have good character and leadership skills, and is a person who embodies the vision of what Iowa Western Athletics is all about.
One male athlete is chosen for the Doug Goodman Award and one female athlete is chosen for the Dr. Dan D. Kinney Award from the list of Outstanding Reivers. These awards, which are presented annually at The Rocky's Student-Athlete Award Banquet, goes to an Iowa Western student-athlete that encompasses the athletic, academic, and social excellence that both Mr. Goodman and Dr. Kinney represented.
Hamptons Community Champions
Former Iowa Western Hall of Fame Athletic Director Brenda Hampton was heavily involved in community outreach and sought out ways for her teams to get involved and assist with community service, local leanups, or aiding in fundraising efforts for disaster relief. We're pleased to name this award in her honor and award it to a team who has gone above and beyond in service to our school and community.