The Lewis-Clark State College women’s tennis team has been selected as the winner of the Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Team Award, the NAIA has announced.
It’s the first time a team from LCSC has won the Champions of Character Team Award in any sport.
All teams are eligible for the award and must be nominated by their institution. The winning team is selected based on its documented display of exemplary character and sportsmanship on the field, on campus, and in the community. Specifically, the winning team should fulfill at least one of the core characters of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, and Servant Leadership.
LCSC coach Kai Fong said senior Chelsea Gay wrote an essay about the Warriors and what the team does during the school year.
All nominees are reviewed by the NAIA Tennis Coaches Association officers, who select the winner.
The award is part of the NAIA’s Character of Champion program that promotes the five core character values. Those values are Integrity – internal traits that guide behavior; Respect – treating others the way you want to be treated; Responsibility – the social force that binds the player to the good of the team; Sportsmanship – following the rules, spirit, and etiquette of athletic competition; and Servant Leadership – serving the greater good while focusing on the team’s mission and purpose.
The Warriors went 6-10 during the season, but that includes an 0-9 record against NCAA Division I schools. The Warriors missed an at-large berth to the national tournament by two spots in the new qualifying format this year, which ended its streak of consecutive national tournament appearances at 14 straight years.
