Briar Cliff hosted its annual Champions of Character banquet Monday night to celebrate a successful athletic year and recognize student-athletes for outstanding achievements. Several awards were handed out, including the university's athletes of the year.
The male and female Athlete of the Year awards are given each year to student-athletes whose success in sports made them shining ambassadors for Briar Cliff. The recipient of this year's Female Athlete of the Year award was Bailey Nichols. She batted .375 at the plate for the softball team this season with a slugging percentage of .652. Both marks rank in the top 10 for any single season in Charger history and she is one of only three players to rank in the top 10 in both categories. She crossed the plate 27 times this season, which ranks ninth all-time in a single season for the Blue and Gold.
Jay Wolfe was named the Male Athlete of the Year. Wolfe was the driving force behind the Briar Cliff basketball team's run to the Elite Eight at the NAIA Championship tournament. The GPAC Player-of-the-Year was named a First-Team All-American as he was in the top-three in scoring, rebounding and assists in the conference. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the National Championships and also made the Bevo Francis Top-50 Watch List.
The recipient of this season's Most Inspirational Athlete award was Erich Erdman. Erdman began the basketball season as a top contributor for a ranked team. Erich was moving up the record books for the Chargers before having his senior season cut short by a devastating injury. After facing the harsh reality of the situation, Erich made the choice to stay 100% engaged with his team and the season. Throughout the season, Erdman was seen on the bench actively involved with his teammates and being a role model for all those around.
Brad Cagle was named Briar Cliff's Comeback Athlete of the Year. Cagle began the year as the starting quarterback for the football team and led the team to a huge victory over a ranked opponent before suffering a feared season-ending injury in the third game of the season. Cagle worked hard to return to action and was able to make it back for the final home game, where he led the Blue and Gold to another big victory over a ranked opponent, giving the Chargers their first-ever winning season and locked up an undefeated home slate.
Head wrestling coach Joe Privitere was named the Coach of the Year. The wrestling program placed second this season at the GPAC tournament and he had three athletes qualify for the NAIA Wrestling National Championships in Des Moines with D'earion Stokes earning All-American status.
Olivia Matz and Zach Kollasch were named Briar Cliff's Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their outstanding performance in the classroom in addition to their dedication to their respective sports. Both student-athletes hold an outstanding cumulative GPA and are four-year members of their teams.
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. Abby Brinkman was named the Female Champion of Character. Brinkman is a junior that has been labeled the "go-to girl on the golf team," by her coaches. She is an assistant hall director with residence life and has gone on mission trips during her time on the Cliff, including a recent trip to Honduras. She is involved with Antioch and is a nursing major focused on pediatrics.
D'earion Stokes was new to BC this year but coaches say he made an immediate impact on the program. He took the initiative to lead study halls for the team, making sure everyone stayed on task while also making sure his fellow teammates were getting to class. Stokes led by example on the mat and off, including at the GPAC Duals. When the team had an off match and most athletes spend the time relaxing between competing, Stokes instead helped clean up the gym. He was also a 4.0 student in the fall.
Juniors Alyssa Carley and Jackson Lamb were named Emil Liston award recipients and are Briar Cliff's nominees to the GPAC for the honor.
Junior Nate Frankman opened the night with an invocation and seniors Taylor Wagner and Bobby Beach-Pattison each gave remarks reflecting on their four years as Chargers. The evening also involved speeches by a few Charger student-athletes and recognition of record-breaking performances and those members of the Blue and Gold who received conference and national accolades throughout the year, including national qualifiers and All-Americans.
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