Spartans coach Danny Jensen wins BSN Sports challenge

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas – BSN SPORTS, a division of Varsity Brands, has successfully wrapped up its second annual #DunkdChallenge, with Southwestern Community College (SWCC) making a meaningful splash! Today BSN SPORTS announced Spartans softball head coach Danny Jensen as the winner of the 2024 #DunkdChallenge grand prize.

Throughout the month of October, in honor of National Coaches Day (Oct. 6), BSN SPORTS encouraged athletes across the country to shower their coaches with appreciation – and ice-cold water – by creating and capturing their very own “Dunkd moments.” Athletes posted splash-worthy videos on social media and nominated their coaches online in the hopes of winning $10,000 in BSN SPORTS’ credit for team gear, including uniforms, apparel, equipment, fanwear and more.

For every #DunkdChallenge hashtag shared on social media, BSN SPORTS also committed a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The total contribution amounted to $25,000.

Jensen has coached softball in Iowa for more than 40 years. Before taking over the Spartans team in 2021, he was named District Coach of the Year eight times and inducted into the Iowa Softball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2015.

According to the nomination, Jensen has dedicated much of his time and effort to developing the softball program at SWCC, transforming it into the success it is today. He has built a program based on giving back to the local Creston community, creating a family within the program and growing each athlete both academically and athletically.

Jensen’s team experienced a tragedy in July 2023, when softball player Halsie Barnes died in a fatal car accident. Devastated by the sudden loss of their teammate, Jensen strove to help heal the hearts of his team, coaching staff and the SWCC community. Through their nomination, the team commended Jensen’s efforts to keep Barnes’s spirit alive throughout the season, including hosting her jersey retirement ceremony and dedicating this year’s season to her memory.

“I have had many highlights in my 44 years of coaching, but winning the 2024 #DunkdChallenge is at the top of the list,” Jensen said. “Our program has been through so much together over the past year and a half, and our athletes, coaching staff and community have demonstrated incredible resiliency. The opportunity to teach kids valuable life skills and nurture life-long friendships make all the hard work worth it, and it is a privilege to lead them every day.”

“Coaches play such an integral role in guiding athletes to reach their full potential and instilling valuable life skills that reach far beyond competition. We want coaches to know how appreciated they are in their schools, communities and in their athletes’ lives,” said BSN Sports President Terry Babilla. “Athletes nationwide joined us by posting their fun Dunkd moments all over social media and sharing amazing stories about their coaches’ profound influence through the #DunkdChallenge. This year’s winner, Coach Jensen, is beyond deserving of receiving our grand prize.”

With the $10,000 BSN SPORTS credit, the SWCC softball team plans to purchase a new pitching machine, additional tees and practice balls to enhance hitting practices, along with new travel gear for the 2025 spring season to help promote team unity during road trips. A celebratory check presentation between BSN SPORTS’ local sales team and Coach Jensen will take place on the SWCC campus today at noon.

More than 100 athletes and teams across the country participated in the 2024 #DunkdChallenge. A roster of high-profile professional and collegiate athletes, including Olympic high jumper and Auburn alumnus Dontavious Hill, Sacramento State football player Jared Gipson and incoming Alabama basketball player Chloe Spreen, shared their Dunkd moments on social media throughout the challenge.

For additional information regarding Varsity Brands, its divisions, the #DunkdChallenge and more, visit www.VarsityBrands.com.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.

St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.