Alums Honored At Homecoming Awards Ceremony
Published: November 17, 2025
Author: Dave Bell
Each year, Greenville University recognizes outstanding alumni who embody Christlike character and service, and who have demonstrated leadership in their careers or other endeavors since graduating.
Recognized at this year’s Homecoming Honors Award Ceremony were five individuals and a class celebrating the 50th anniversary of its graduation. At the same event, three former athletes and a baseball team were inducted into the GU Athletic Hall of Fame, and another recent graduate was named to the Order of the Orange and Black.
Emceeing this year’s program was George Barber, a physical education professor and head coach of the GU men’s basketball team. Director of Athletics William “BJ” Schneck ’01 introduced the Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, and Director of Alumni Relations Robyn (Jaenke '88) Florian oversaw the presentation of the alumni awards.
GU President Suzanne Davis opened the program by reminding the audience of the importance of the University’s experiential learning model. “Our students crave active learning,” she said. “They want to have our faculty and staff walk alongside them on their educational journey. That partnership is both a privilege and a challenge as we help them connect the dots between their education and the career they have chosen.”
Photo by Dave Bell
Athletic Hall of Fame Awards
• The Order of the Orange and Black Award is given to a student-athlete who represents the highest ideals of the University and who models integrity, athletic and academic excellence, and student leadership.
Photo by Dave Bell
This year’s award was presented to Gianni Estrada, a 2025 psychology graduate with a minor in biology. A standout on the track and cross country teams, Estrada was a 10-time conference champion, two-time NCAA cross country qualifier, and multiple-time qualifier for the National Christian College Athletic Association national meet.
On campus, he served two years as a resident assistant and was a small-group leader. He also worked with the youth group at a local church and was a leader at a summer church camp.
“It’s an honor to receive this award,” Estrada said. “Much of the credit goes to my coaches and teammates and every other person who has impacted my life and led me to where I am now.”
• The 1988 Panther baseball squad was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in the team category.
That team, under the direction of Coach David Altopp, set a school record with 28 wins and earned fifth place in the NCAA national tournament.
Team member Javier Morales spoke for the group after the award was presented.
“The season we had in 1988 didn’t just shape our baseball career, it shaped our lives in ways that time will never erase,” he said. “We are better people today because of what we did back then.
“Coach Altopp instilled so many positive character qualities in us – things such as faith, hard work, and commitment – and as a result, we were better people because we had been in that program,” Morales added.
Photo by Dave Bell
• The next Hall of Fame inductee was Lynn Carlson ’93, who is entering his 30th year as the head baseball coach at GU. While a student, Carlson played both basketball and baseball. He returned to Greenville in 1996 to lead the baseball program. In his 29 years at the helm, he has recorded 583 victories, making him the school’s all-time winningest coach.
“I’m indebted to this place,” Carlson said. “I was incredibly fortunate to have role models like Jack Trager, David Altopp, and Kent Krober. It’s been a true blessing to be here all these years, and I’m honored by this award.”
Photo by Dave Bell
• Also inducted into the Hall of Fame was Kyle Krober ’02, a standout quarterback on the Greenville University football team. He is ranked as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NCCAA history and was named the association’s first-team quarterback in 2000.
“It’s a big honor to be inducted,” said Krober, who is now teaching and coaching in the Indianapolis area. “I’m here as a representative of the great teammates I was privileged to play with. Many of those guys have remained lifelong friends. I’m also indebted to my coaches; they helped me grow as a player and a man.”
Photo by Dave Bell
• The final Hall of Fame inductee of the evening was Jarod Renford ’08, a standout hurdler and sprinter on the GU track team. Over his career, he earned 10 NCCAA championships, and in his senior year he became the school’s first NCAA national champion in the 110 high hurdles. He remains one of GU’s most decorated athletes, holding school records in several hurdle, sprint, and relay events. For the past 17 years, he’s been a teacher and track coach in the Washington, DC, area.
“My coaches at Greenville made me a better athlete and a better person,” Renford said. “They believed in me even before I believed in myself. We were successful largely because we outworked everybody. It was a great situation for me.”
GU Alumni Awards
Photo by Dave Bell
• The Alumni Awards portion of the program started with the recognition of members of the Greenville University Class of 1975. They were given medallions in honor of the 50th anniversary of their graduation.
• The first individual honored was Luke Schoenhals ’15, who received the Young Alumnus Award. He serves as production manager and front-of-house engineer for Tauren Wells, a contemporary Christian singer and songwriter from Houston, Texas. Schoenhals also designs concert environments to enhance the audience's worship experience.
Schoenhals was unable to attend the award ceremony but gave a video response. “I’m grateful for my experiences at Greenville,” he said. “That was a critical time for my spiritual growth as well as my professional development. It prepared me to do what I’m doing now, and it gave me the skills to be trusted by the artists I’m working with.”
Photo by Dave Bell
• Pastor and author Mark Van Valin ’79 received this year’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. For decades, he has planted and pastored churches in several states, showcasing in each the power of connecting communities and valuing people. He’s also written several books.
“Tonight is a celebration of Greenville University,” said Van Valin, who now lives in Detroit, Michigan. “For decades, this institution has produced laborers to do God’s work in the world. He has revealed how that story will end: Jesus will return and rule over all. Therefore, we are to roll up our sleeves and make manifest what God has promised.”
• Dan Haseltine ’94 was the next honoree, receiving the Robert A. Briner Salt and Light Award. While at Greenville College, he co-founded Jars of Clay, a Grammy-winning Christian band known for its artistic excellence and spiritual depth.
After visiting Africa and seeing the health issues related to HIV/AIDS and the limited access to clean water, he co-founded Blood: Water. That project brought clean water and sanitation to more than 1 million people.
More recently, he has been involved in creating the musical score for Season Six of “The Chosen” series.
Haseltine acknowledged the award through a video message: “Our excellence is our witness,” he said. “Our task is to make our work as good as it can be, because the way we invest ourselves in those creative opportunities shows our commitment to excellence.”
• This year’s recipient of the Dr. Gene A. Kamp Loyalty Award was Beckie (Bruce '68) Smith. Though she initially pursued a degree in education, she transitioned to a 30-year career in human resources leadership with several multi-national companies.
Smith has served on Greenville University’s Board of Trustees for 14 years (including six years as chair), and she helped establish the Almira Circle to advance the institution’s support of women in leadership.
“It’s very humbling to be chosen for this award,” she said. “My time at GU was the beginning of a lifelong connection to a community that has continued to inspire and support me over several decades. I’m proud to be associated with a university that nurtures both hearts and minds.
“Receiving this award brings memories flooding back,” Smith added. “And those memories remind me of how special this place is.”
Photo by Dave Bell
• The final award of the night was the inaugural Ruth (Smith) Winslow Leadership Award, which was awarded to its namesake, Ruth (Smith '62) Winslow. The award is to recognize a female alum whose life “reflects compassion, capacity, and advocacy through personal and professional investments.”
From 1963 to 2008, Smith served as a cross-cultural nurse in China and Taiwan – training nurses, running maternal-child clinics, and coordinating mobile eye care units. Her memoir, Love Found a Way – The Journey of a Nurse in China (2021), chronicles her nursing career.
“I thank my family, who have walked through my career with me,” Winslow said. “I’m also indebted to Greenville College (now University), where I got my education, found my calling, and met my husband, Harry. The things we learned here became the foundation for our ministry and guided us for the rest of our lives.”
Tom Ackerman, the former athletic director and now vice president of advancement, closed the awards ceremony. He praised the award recipients for their many accomplishments and for representing Greenville University in positive ways.
“I can ask people for money all day long,” Ackerman said, “as long as I know we’re impacting students for lives of character and service, and helping them move toward a deeper relationship with Jesus. There’s so much momentum going on at the University now, and I’m excited to share that with our financial partners.”
