Bethel College athletics has received a top character award for the sixth straight year, the second longest run in its regional conference, the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recently announced its Champions of Character® Five-Star Gold Award winners. Bethel was named as a Gold Level Champion of Character for the sixth year running.
“It is an honor to receive this award once again from the NAIA,” said Collin Loutensock, interim director of athletics. “To do so for the 6th straight year is difficult, and our coaches and student-athletes deserve a ton of credit for leading and playing their sports in a way we value as an institution and department.”
Bethel was one of 62 colleges and universities, and one of four in the KCAC, to earn gold status, out of the total 171 schools that achieved Gold, Silver or Bronze Level status.
Ten of the 13 full-time KCAC member institutions received Five-Star distinction, which also makes the KCAC a Champions of Character® Five-Star Conference, with 60% or more schools at Five-Star status.
Bethel’s Champions of Character liaison, Stacy Middleton, oversaw the campus program in which five Bethel teams from 2022-23 received the team-specific KCAC Team of Character Award.
In addition, Gregg Dick, head men’s golf coach, was named KCAC Coach of Character for 2022-23.
“Character starts at the top,” said Middleton, “and previous Director of Athletics Tony Hoops did an amazing job of hiring high-character coaches, which was then reflected in their student-athletes and programs.”
Champions of Character designations are announced at the beginning of the fall semester for the previous school year.
Through the Champions of Character® initiative, schools strive to produce character-driven athletic programs.
Institutions are measured on demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character® – earning points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion, and based on exceptional student-athlete GPAs and minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the academic year.
Loutensock connected these standards to the Bethel Athletics core values.
“Our core values of gratitude, community, competitive greatness and creating three-dimensional coaches and athletes are reflected in the results of this award,” he said.
The Champions of Character® Scorecard holds 100 possible points to be earned, measured through growth in training, promotion, conduct in competition and commitment in five key areas. Gold Level status schools score 90 points or higher.
“As an athletic department, we are extremely proud of what our student-athletes and coaches were able to accomplish both on and off the field [in 2022-23],” Loutensock continued.
“They exemplified and lived out our core values, and it shows in earning this award for the sixth straight year.”
See all of the Champions of Character® Five-Star institutions at https://www.naia.org/champions-of-character/five-star-winners-2023
Bethel College is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel was the first Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu
In athletics, Bethel competes within the 13-school KCAC and the NAIA. For more information, see www.bethelthreshers.com
