The Briar Cliff Athletic Department announced the winners of its annual Champions of Character Awards Wednesday evening in a virtual awards ceremony. The awards are highlighted by the Marian Pesky Champion of Character, Athlete of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. 

The Marian Pesky Champion of Character Awards are named for longtime Charger coach and administrator Marian Pesky, who currently serves as the Cliff's Champions of Character Director. The Champion of Character award is presented to a male and female student-athlete that exemplifies the five core values of the NAIA. This year's Female Champion of Character honoree is Catherine Leonard and Male Champion of Character is Raul Perez Ruiz. 

Leonard is a senior member of the women's volleyball team. She was nominated by Coach Lindsey Weatherford for her leadership on and off the field.

"Cat is a strong leader on and off the volleyball court and displays the five core values of the NAIA in all her activities of daily living," said Weatherford. "Cat joined the volleyball team after being a member of the basketball team for a few years. She fit in right away due to her respect for her teammates and sportsmanship. She took responsibility in mentoring our incoming group of athletes with integrity. Her servant-leadership is unparalleled as a nurse, teammate, sister, daughter and friend to all. Cat is truly deserving of this honor."

Perez Ruiz is a senior member of BC golf. His nomination from Coach Ben Irlbeck is complimentary of his leadership skills.

"Raul has been a three-year team captain and has evolved into a great leader for both the men's and women's golf teams," Irlbeck said. "His time at Briar Cliff has helped him come closer to his faith. He went through the RCIA program and continues to be a leader off the golf course as well."
 
Flor Suarez (women's soccer) was named Female Athlete of the Year while Ben Jefferies (track and field) was named Male Athlete of the Year.
 
Suarez led the Chargers to the 2020 regular season GPAC title and was named the conference Offensive Player of the Year. She scored 15 goals in 15 games and added six assists to lead the GPAC in total points with 36. 

Jefferies is the reigning NAIA Indoor 400-Meter Champion and 200-meter runner up. He owns the school indoor record in both events. Jefferies has also hit the automatic qualifying mark in both events for the NAIA Outdoor Championships in May. 
 
The Scholar-Athlete award is presented to the senior student-athletes with the highest cumulative GPA. Ryan Harrel (track & field) and Luisa Ramirez Huertas (volleyball) are the Male and Female Scholar-Athletes.
 
In addition to the Champions of Character Awards, Briar Cliff also nominated four Chargers for GPAC/NAIA awards. Coach Ben Irlbeck is the Briar Cliff nominee for the Coach of Character Award, Quinten Vasa and Madelyn Deitchler  are the Briar Cliff nominee for the Emil S. Liston Award, Rachele Heaton is the nominee for the A.O. Duer Scholarship Award and MJ Montgomery is the nominee for the Dr. Leroy Walker Character Award.
 
The full list of presented awards for the 2020-21 year is below. A list of previous winners can be found HERE.
 
Best Play --  Payton Slaughter, Women's Basketball (watch it HERE)
Best Competition (Male) -- Ben Jefferies, NAIA Indoor Championships, Track & Field
Best Competition (Female) -- Alexis Westercamp, at Dakota State, Softball
Best Upset -- Women's Basketball vs. Morningside
Freshman Athlete of the Year (Female) -- Kennedy Benne, Women's Basketball
Freshman Athlete of the Year (Male) -- Jared Sitzmann, Baseball
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year (Female) -- Taylor Hill, Women's Soccer
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year (Male) -- Alpha Faye, Men's Soccer
Comeback Athlete of the Year -- Mya Hendry, Women's Basketball
Most Inspirational Athlete -- Chris Paulsen, Wrestling
Scholar-Athlete (Female) -- Luisa Ramirez Huertas, Women's Volleyball
Scholar-Athlete (Male) -- Ryan Harrel, Track & Field
Athlete of the Year (Female) -- Flor Suarez, Women's Soccer
Athlete of the Year (Male) -- Ben Jefferies, Track & Field
Marian Pesky Champion of Character (Male) -- Raul Perez Ruiz, Men's Golf
Marian Pesky Champion of Character (Female) -- Catherine Leonard, Women's Volleyball