Salem, Virginia - Awards season for NCAA Division III women's and men's basketball continued on Tuesday morning with the announcement of the 2019 Jostens Trophy recipients. Wheaton senior Aston Francis is the male recipient of this year's award. Thomas More University standout Madison Temple is this year's female honoree. The Jostens Trophy recognizes outstanding student-athletes in Division III basketball for excellence in the classroom, on the court, and in their respective communities.

Francis is the first Wheaton player to win the prestigious Jostens Trophy since it began in 1998. He is the third CCIW men's basketball player to receive the award, joining Illinois Wesleyan's Korey Coon (2000) and Carthage's Steve Djurickovic.

The Jostens Trophy is a joint creation of Jostens, Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn., and the Rotary Club of Salem, Va. The purpose of the award is to honor the true Division III student-athlete - the athlete that shows excellence in the classroom, on the playing floor and in the community. In addition to the Trophy, the Wooldridge Scholarship, a $1,000 donation, will be presented in the names of the winners to their institutions. The scholarship is named after Dan Wooldridge, a Salem Rotarian and retired Commissioner of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, as a way of honoring him for his long-time dedication to Division III athletics.

The winners were chosen by a national selection committee that consists of college coaches, former athletes, college administrators and selected members of the media. The members of the national selection committee cast their votes based on three criteria: basketball ability, academic prowess, and community service.

Thunder head coach Mike Schauer said of Francis in his nomination letter, "Aston is the hardest working player I have ever encountered." He added in the nomination, "He is a talented student at one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges. He has grown into an exceptional leader both on and off the court."

Francis recently set the Wheaton single-game scoring record and NCAA Division III tournament record with 62 points in the NCAA sectional final. Francis leads all NCAA divisions with a 33.9 points per game average and leads Division III with 5.42 3-point field goals made per game and 218 made free throws. As Wheaton heads into the 2019 national semifinals, Francis has already set the NCAA Division III record for points in a season (1,052) and is second all-time in three-pointers made in a season (168). His 383 career three-pointers stand as seventh-best in NCAA Division III history. Francis was named the D3hoops.com Central Region Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

Off the court, Francis is very active in his communities, a point Wheaton College President Dr. Philip Ryken was proud to highlight in his letter nominating Francis for the award. "In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Mr. Francis has a long record of working in disaster recovery in Texas, New Orleans, and Arkansas. Both on and off the court, Aston Francis is a strong and consistent student-athlete with outstanding potential for future leadership."

Both of this season's winners are still in action in their respective NCAA Tournaments as Thomas More will be in Salem for the women's national championship, while Wheaton will be in Fort Wayne, Ind., for the men's championship. To accommodate the winners' marches to possible national titles, the actual awards will be presented in separate private ceremonies over the next two weeks.