KCU Named NAIA 5-Star Winner

We're excited to announce that Kentucky Christian University has earned the Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award for 2021-22.

The vision of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character program is to change the culture of sport. Its mission is to provide training to instill the values that build character so students, coaches and parents know, do and value the right thing on and off the field.

Research shows that the longer a student spends in sports, their social reasoning – sacrificing for the good of the team – rises.

The Champions of Character program helps participants find the balance by keeping five core values – integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership – at the heart of the athletics experience.

Students learn to understand how the values play out in both practice and competition. Coaches are taught how to intentionally define, model, shape and reinforce the values through their coaching and mentoring. Parents learn how their behavior is key to supporting their athletes.

The NAIA is committed to advancing character-driven athletics and for more than a decade, Champions of Character has been making a difference in developing athletes, coaches and parents of character.

Each year, NAIA schools use the Champions of Character scorecard to measure the pursuit of character-driven athletics. Schools scoring a minimum of 60 out of 100 points earn the Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award.

This year, 157 NAIA institutions earned the Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award. The complete list of winning institutions can be found here.

Congratulations Knights, on earning the 2021-2022 Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award. Your focus on character-driven athletics is a key factor in continuing to elevate the NAIA student-athlete experience.