Presented to the male athlete deemed to be the most exceptional during the year.

NOTE: The annual HOPEYs celebration of Hope College Athletics will be held on Monday, April 17, at 7 p.m. at DeVos Fieldhouse. The event is open to the public. Admission is free.

Connor Vachon, Men's Cross Country and Men's Track & Field

At the MIAA Cross Country Championships, Vachon ran to a first place finish, becoming Hope's first individual champion in 36 years. He recorded a winning 8k time of 24 minutes, 21.2 seconds, which was 6.6 seconds ahead of second place. Vachon was also the top runner for Hope at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, finishing eighth out of 272 runners. He earned All-Region honors and qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships as an individual. Vachon won the 1-mile run at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and was a member of the winning 4x400 relay. He also helped set the school record this year in the men's distance medley relay. Vachon was named to the All-MIAA team in both cross country and indoor track and field. 

TJ McKenzie, Football & Basketball

As a wide receiver for the Flying Dutchmen, McKenzie saw over 100 yards receiving in four separate games this year. He earned All-MIAA First Team honors. Over the course of his career, McKenzie has played in 28 games, made 89 catches, and has recorded a total of 1,453 receiving yards. He has scored 12 touchdowns for Hope. On the basketball court, McKenzie averaged 8.2 points per game this year and on two separate occasions recorded 23 points in a game. 

Ben Catton, Men's Swim & Dive

As a junior, Catton repeated as MIAA Champion in the 100-yard Butterfly, posting a time of 47.98 seconds. This performance qualified him for the NCAA Division III Championships as an individual where he finished in 17th place. Catton also swam the second fastest time in Hope history in the 50-yard Freestyle at 20.57 seconds at the NCAA Championships. At the conclusion of this season, Catton now ranks first on the all-time performance list for the Flying Dutchmen in two events and second in another four individual events.

Eli Meder, Men's Track & Field

Meder was MIAA Champion in the 800-meter run at both the 2022 MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and the 2023 MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. He also anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay at the indoor championships this year. Meder was named to the All-MIAA team for the outdoor and indoor track seasons. As an individual, he qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 800-meter run where he ran to a 16th place finish. Meder set school records in the 800-meters and the Distance Medley Relay during the indoor track & field season.

Evan Thomas, Men's Basketball

In his senior season, Thomas battled through two injuries to help the Flying Dutchmen win the MIAA Tournament and reach the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. He led Hope in scoring at 15.7 points per game over 20 games. Thomas earned All-MIAA First Team honors and was named to the All-Region Second Team. Additionally, he received Academic All-American First Team accolades for his performance in the classroom and on the court. Thomas wrapped up his time at Hope ranked 15th on the all-time leading scorer list, totaling 1,363 career points in 85 games for an average of 16.0 points per game.   

Evan Maday, Baseball

During the 2022 season, Maday earned All-America First Team honors from D3baseball.com after batting a career-best .436, belting a career-high and school record-tying 11 home runs and playing nearly flawless defense. He was one of three outfielders chosen to the first team. In MIAA play, Maday topped all league players in batting average and home runs and ranked second in runs batted in with a career-high 47. Defensively, Maday recorded a .991 fielding percentage with only one error in 120 chances. He earned All-MIAA First Team honors and was named the MIAA Position Player of the Year.