KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Corban University, the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC), and all ten additional full-time CCC schools were all named Champions of Character® Five-Star Award winners for the 2025-256 school year as announced by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) earlier this morning. This is the twenty-third overall occasion that Corban has been selected for a Gold, Silver, and/or Bronze Award, marking the eighteenth-straight year of earning one of the various award levels dating back to the 2008-09 academic school year.

"We are honored to receive this recognition from the NAIA, as it speaks to our commitment to representing Christ through character, service, and excellence," said Warriors' director of athletics Bill Pilgeram. "Our student-athletes and coaches embody these values daily, and this award is a testament to their dedication and leadership."

Institutions are measured on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earn points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by having minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.

The Champions of Character Scorecard measures each institution's commitment to the Champions of Character initiative. Points are earned in five key areas up to 100 total points. All institutions scoring 60 or more total points will be named Five Star Champions of Character Institutions for the academic year. For conferences looking to earn Five-Star recognition, they must have established a Champions of Character Conference Committee, developed a conduct in competition oversight committee composed of a minimum of three members, and have at least 60% of member institutions receive the NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award.

Among the 16 varsity sports that Corban sponsors, 15 athletic programs finished the 2025-26 academic year with at least a 3.00 cumulative team GPA to register a department GPA of 3.38 among the 297 total student-athletes, which earned the Warriors Presidents' Cup recognition from the CCC once again. Earning at least a 3.00 team cumulative GPA qualifies the 15 varsity sports who earned the mark for NAIA Scholar Team recognition. The Warrior men's cross country team led the male athletic programs in team GPA with a 3.44, while women's cross country reclaimed the female sport crown with a 3.78 GPA which also represented the top team GPA in the department.

Thoroughly committed to the Champions of Character model the NAIA embraces, the Corban athletic department engaged in numerous NAIA Core Value trainings including an annual book study within the admin staff focused on mentoring Christian student-athletes, Association of Student-Athlete (ASA) discussions regarding Core Value implementation within campus, and attending local school fundraisers with the opportunity to discuss Core Value characteristics with future Warriors and potential donors.

During the 2025-26 academic year, Corban University continued to demonstrate a strong commitment to the NAIA Champions of Character initiative through campus-wide education, recognition, and student-athlete engagement.

Key Champions of Character achievements included:

• Maintaining a dedicated Champions of Character webpage that highlights the university's commitment to character-driven athletics and provides resources about the initiative.
• Displaying Champions of Character signage in the Jeffers Sports Center, helping reinforce the program's values throughout the athletic environment.
• Integrating Champions of Character messaging into athletic department communications and orientation efforts, including character-focused presentations for student-athletes.
• Implementing several Living the Five Core Values activities, such as:
  • A Champions of Character presentation during the 2025-26 academic year introducing student-athletes to the Five Core Values.
  • Character-focused discussions led by coaches with their respective teams.
  • Education on servant leadership and opportunities for student-athletes to serve and advocate for underrepresented groups.
  • Annual Champions of Character training for athletic department staff before the start of the academic year.

Corban also recognized student-athletes who exemplified the Five Core Values through weekly team awards and accountability initiatives. Coaches highlighted athletes who demonstrated integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership both in competition and in the community. The university's accountability program further encouraged student-athletes to take ownership of their actions and decisions, while team recognition programs rewarded positive character-based behaviors.

Several teams showcased Champions of Character values through specific initiatives:

• Men's Golf conducted a weekly Bible study group focused on character development.
• Beach Volleyball participated in a Champions of Character event with a local youth program at the 2025 NAIA National Invitational.
• Women's Golf held weekly small-group Bible studies and church attendance while traveling on the road.
• Women's Track & Field volunteered to keep local high school track meets running smoothly and supported youth athletic events in the community.

Also receiving NAIA Champions of Character awards was the CCC on the conference level, as well as fellow CCC full-time members Bushnell University (Gold), Eastern Oregon University (Silver), Lewis-Clark State College (Gold), Northwest University (Gold), Oregon Tech (Silver), Southern Oregon University (Silver), The College of Idaho (Gold), The Evergreen State College (Silver), Walla Walla University (Gold), and Warner Pacific University (Gold).

To view the individual lists of institutions receiving a Champions of Character® Award, click HERE.

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