BRADEN VAN GRONINGEN, THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY, OH, SR.

• Van Groningen is a key reason The Master’s has rolled to a 23-0 record this season and been ranked No. 1 in every 2025 NAIA Poll.
• Along with leading the Mustangs to wins against six ranked NAIA teams, he also helped TMU to victories at Division I-Stanford and over four NCAA Division II teams.
• The outside hitter heads into the NAIA Championship ranked fifth in hitting percentage (.429), and he’s helped the Mustangs rank second in the category as a team (.361).
• The senior also stands eighth in kills-per-set average at 3.96.
• The award adds to his other 2025 honors, as he is an AVCA First-Team All-American and picked up the GSAC Player of the Year award.
• Van Groningen is the third-straight AVCA NAIA Player of the Year from The Master’s.

2025 Stats (as of April 26): .429 Hitting %, 4.40 P/S, 301 Kills, 3.96 K/S, 111 Digs

 

AVCA NAIA MEN’S PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

2010: Blair Penner, California Baptist University
2011: Levi Cabral, California Baptist University
2012: Dan Dowjotas, St. Ambrose University
2013: Naseri Tumanuvao, Concordia University Irvine
2014: Pedro Cardoso, Grand View University
2015: Caio Souza, Park University
2016: Kyle Foley, Missouri Baptist University
2017: Kyle Foley, Missouri Baptist University
2018: Kyle Foley, Missouri Baptist University
2019: Felix Chapman, Grand View University
2020: Felix Chapman, Grand View University
2021: Felix Chapman, Grand View University
2022: Landon Krause, William Penn University
2023: Nolan Flexen, The Master’s University
2024: Patrick Paragas, The Master’s University
2025: Braden Van Groningen, The Master’s University