Rotary Club of Salem Chooses Or as Finalist for Jostens Trophy

(SALEM, Va.) – The Rotary Club of Salem, Virginia, has announced Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball senior Catherine Or as a finalist for the 2025 Jostens Trophy. Or is one of 10 women finalists for the award, which is handed out to an outstanding NCAA Division III men's and women's basketball player who excels on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

The Jostens Trophy is a symbol of excellence for the Division III student-athlete. Nominees are screened based on basketball ability, academic performance and extracurricular and/or civic activities exemplifying the Rotary Club motto of "Service Above Self." The 2025 season marks the 27th time the Jostens Trophy honors will be awarded.

While Or finished her playing career as one-of-one in the Carnegie Mellon history books by scoring more than 1,500 points and recording more than 500 rebounds and 300 assists, she's worked hard to maintain a 3.97 grade point average in mechanical engineering and serve her community.

A tactician on the court who finished as the program's third-leading scorer (1,571 points), fifth in rebounding (815), and second in assists (338), Or uses her mechanical engineering and robotics skills as a member of the Carnegie Involvement Association (CIA) Buggy Team. She is the head push captain and a pusher for the buggy team. She organizes and facilitates practices and race formations which helped her team take first place in last spring's race. Or is also an assistant build lead for the team and a mechanic that assists with driver loading/unloading and brake testing to ensure safety.

As a three-year captain for the women's basketball team, Or participates in the athletics department's Tartan Leaders of Tomorrow program and has also been involved in the administration of Special Olympics Spring Sectional hosted at CMU each spring helping to run the basketball events and registration while additionally volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

The finalists will now be reviewed by the Jostens Trophy National Selection Committee. The committee is composed of men and women from across the country. The committee features current and former athletic administrators and head coaches, past Jostens Trophy recipients, and select members of the Division III media. The committee will spend the next week-plus reviewing the nominees with the aim of announcing the two winners the week following both national championship events.

Or is the second Tartan to be honored as a Jostens Trophy finalist, as CMU Hall of Famer Lisa Murphy won the award in 2017.

Additional information on the award can be found at https://odaconline.com/sports/jostenstrophy