Presented to a Hope College athlete (sophomore and above) that has made the best or most significant breakthrough in his or her sport in a given year.

* Dennis Towns, Men's Basketball – In his senior season, Towns went from a role player to an impactful senior for the Flying Dutchmen. He played in all 26 games this year and averaged 8.5 points-per-game. Towns finished third in the MIAA in rebounding and fourth in field-goal shooting percentage.

* Logan Bylsma, Men's Soccer – During the 2017 season, Bylsma played in nine games, made two starts, and recorded one goal. This year, Bylsma played in and started in all 18 games for the Flying Dutchmen. He led the team in scoring with 14 goals and was named to the All-MIAA Second Team. Bylsma also received Academic All-American honors this year.

* CJ Otteman, Baseball – As a pitcher for the Flying Dutchmen, Otteman had a breakthrough season in 2018 as he set a school record for number of appearances in a season with 23. During his freshman season in 2017 he made just five appearances. Otteman also led the team in ERA and saves with six.

* Carleigh Eidson, Women's Lacrosse – Eidson saw limited playing time in 2017 as she was learning the sport of lacrosse and working to advance her stick skills. She was determined in the off-season and her passion for improving in the sport and for the team helped her develop the skills to rise up as an impact lacrosse player in the 2018 season.

* Nick Bazany, Men's Lacrosse – Banzy is a key leader on defense for the Flying Dutchmen. He had an exceptional year in 2018 and was recognized as an All-MIAA second team member for the first time in his career.

* Jeremiah Purnell, Football – Purnell saw limited action as a freshman and proceeded to work extremely hard in the off-season to come back and start all ten games this season. He was the top improvement athlete in two of the four measured areas of lifting. Purnell totaled 50 tackles on the season, with three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.