Last night, Briar Cliff University hosted its annual Champions of Character banquet, a celebration of sport, scholastic achievement and character. Over 300 student-athletes gathered at the St. Francis Center to look back upon the 2016-17 academic year and to celebrate successes. Several awards were handed out throughout the evening including the Male and Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards, the Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards, the Male and Female Champion of Character Awards, the Most Inspirational Athlete Award and the Newcomer of the Year Award.
The Athlete of the Year Awards were handed out to student-athletes whose success in sport made them shining ambassadors of Briar Cliff, athletes who raised the bar, captured the attention of the community and made Charger Nation proud to bleed Blue and Gold. The recipient of this year's Female Athlete of the Year Award was Taylor Minger. This season, Minger helped her team win its first ever conference championship as well as the first GPAC Championship in women's sports at Briar Cliff. She led the Chargers to a 30-stroke comeback to claim the title over Morningside and lock up a trip to the NAIA National Championship after carding a 332 (87-82-81-82) at the GPAC Championships and helped the Cliff to a team score of 1,338 (350-332-334-322). The freshman from Champlin Park, Minnesota, also helped the Chargers finish in the top 10 of all 13 tournaments they played in this season.
The Male Athlete of the Year Award winner was Bryan Forbes. He helped his team win back-to-back GPAC Championships and also helped the Cliff advance to its third-straight national tournament. Forbes was selected as an All-American and earned first team All-GPAC honors. The Lone Tree, Iowa, native ranked in the top 25 in the NAIA in four different categories and was second on his team in scoring with 17.5 points per game, while leading the team in rebounds, steals and blocks.
Peyton Schirman received the Newcomer of the Year Award after helping his team reach the second round of the conference tournament and facilitated the team in doubling its win total from last season. Schirman led the nation in kills per game with 5.0 and was 10th in the NAIA in total kills with 335. He played in 19 matches this season and had at least 10 kills in all but two contests.
Also honored during the event were those student-athletes who have showed dedication in both the classroom and athletic arena. Conference and national scholar-athletes were recognized and two student-athletes were selected as this years Scholar Athletes of the Year. This year's female recipient of the Scholar Athlete of the Year Award was a senior soccer player from Maple Grove, Minnesota. She was a four-year member of the Charger soccer program and played in 75 games and scored five goals in her career. She majors in kinesiology and human performance; this year's Female Scholar Athlete of the Year was Mariah Morrisette. On the men's side, the recipient was a junior on the men's basketball team from Waverly, Nebraska. He has been with the program for three seasons and majors in mathematics; this year's male Scholar Athlete of the Year was Dylan Janecek.
Each coach had the opportunity to nominate a Champion of Character from their own program, a student-athlete which they felt upheld the five core character values embraced by the NAIA; respect, integrity, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership. Of the 18 male and female nominees, a committee decided on two student-athletes who deserved the title Champion of Character. The 2017 Female Champion of Character Award went to Megan Glover. She is involved in the Briar Cliff student government and also works in the student development office. Glover is a junior soccer player from Sioux City, Iowa and majors in journalism and mass communication. This year's Male Champion of Character Award winner was Will King. He is a sophomore on the men's volleyball team from Centerville, Georgia and majors in digital media.
The Most Inspirational Athlete of the Year Award honors an athlete who inspired others with his or her performance and actions, perhaps by overcoming adversity, injury or heartbreak. The recipient of the 2017 Most Inspirational Athlete of the Year went to Kyle Robison. He made the commitment to redshirt and come back for a fifth year before unfortunately suffering a back injury that sidelined him for most of the season. Despite his injuries, the three-time captain did what he could in the practice room to help his teammates get better. The three-time national qualifier and one time north region champion wasn't able to overcome his injuries from a wins/loss aspect, but his attitude and actions will resonate in the program for years to come.
The evening also involved a speech by senior softball player Danielle Ishii. BC also recognized record-breaking performances and those members of the Blue and Gold who received conference and national accolades throughout the year, including national qualifiers, All-Americans and National Champions.
