Lewis-Clark State College has earned the 2011-2012 NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award, the national office announced last week. The Warriors received 72 points out of 100 on the Champions of Character Scorecard.

“This award represents the commitment of LC athletic department coaches and personnel to maintain the standards of the NAIA Champions of Character program,” said Warrior athletic director Gary Picone. “It also reflects the quality of student-athlete that participates for and represents LC athletics. I’m very proud and honored to have our school receive this accolade.”

The Champions of Character Scorecard measures each institution's commitment to the NAIA Champions of Character program. Points are earned in five key areas: character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion.

This year 221 NAIA institutions received the honor and six NAIA conferences had all of their members earn the Five-Star designation. Those conferences with 100-percent of their membership winning the recognition are: Appalachian Athletic Conference, Frontier Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Midwest Collegiate Conference, The Sun Conference and the TranSouth Athletic Conference.

Fellow Frontier Conference members Montana Tech and Carroll College received the top two scores in the nation. The Orediggers were given a perfect score of 100, while the Saints came in at 96.

For a complete list of the 2011-2012 Five Star Institutions, click here.

For more information about the NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution program, click here.