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NWSL Standout Bethany Balcer to Headline NAIA Champions of Character® Awards Luncheon

Nov 03, 2022
NWSL Standout Bethany Balcer to Headline NAIA Champions of Character® Awards Luncheon

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) will honor five (5) individuals as a part of the annual Champions of Character® Foundation Awards luncheon, set for Monday, November 7, 2022 at the Marriott Muehlebach Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

Former NAIA Women’s Soccer Player of the Year and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) standout with OL Reign, Bethany Balcer, will serve as this year’s Featured Character Honoree.

“Our institutions greatly value Character-driven athletics and are a primary focus for the NAIA,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. “These honorees ennoble our five core values and we are thrilled to celebrate their achievements.”

 

The 2022 award winners are:

  • Company of Character: DiPasquale Moore
  • Team of Character: Sumner Academy Football Team
  • Coach of Character: Madison Benton, Southeast High School
  • High School Student-Athlete of Character: Brian Humphrey, Rockhurst High School
  • Collegiate Student-Athlete of Character: Maisy Alsen, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

 

In addition to the above award winners, there were 21 student-athletes who were announced as Champions of Character award winners for their respective Kansas City area high schools. The awards recognize individuals and businesses that embody the NAIA’s five core values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership. The award winners were chosen based on the way they demonstrate these values throughout their daily lives.

The Champions of Character Foundation Awards celebrates the character values of those who make a difference in the culture of sport and in our community. Support from the event is designed to create a better culture of sport through the advancement of character education programs that intentionally teach the five core values to young people.

Former NAIA Women’s Soccer National Player of the Year, and current standout with OL Reign of the NWSL, Bethany Balcer, will serve as the Featured Character Honoree.

Balcer, a three-time NAIA Women’s Soccer National Player of the Year with Spring Arbor University (located in Spring Arbor, Mich.), helped lead the Cougars to two NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship titles in her four seasons (2015-18). Over the course of her collegiate career, she amassed 129 goals which ranks her sixth all-time in career goals. She was a four-time NAIA All-American, Crossroads League Female Student-Athlete of the Year and Crossroads League Women’s Soccer Player of the Year.

Since her graduation, Balcer has risen through the ranks of United States Women’s Soccer and has had the opportunity to put her speed and skill on display both domestically and internationally. She became the first NAIA student-athlete to sign a professional contract with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). At just 25 years old, the likely future NAIA Hall of Famer was named the NWSL Rookie of the Year in 2019. With OL Reign, she plays alongside some of the best players in the world with the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Rose LaVelle, to name a few.

Balcer received the call-up of a lifetime just one year ago when she was named to the USWNT roster in November of 2021 for two matches in Australia. Since that time, Balcer has been quickly making her name known across the country as one of the top young talents in the world.

The Champions of Character® Foundation was established by the NAIA to impact the lives of student-athletes through sport and to reward those that keep as a vital part of their athletics experience. This event in its eight years has raised $1MM. It is supported by thousands around Greater Kansas City each year and this inspiring event recognizes student-athletes, coaches, teams, and businesses that reflect the Five Core Values of the NAIA’s Champions of Character® Program – Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, and Servant Leadership.

For more information on the Champions of Character® Foundation Awards & Fundraiser, go to NAIA.org/COCLuncheon 

 

 

ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 77,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $800 million in scholarships and compete in 28 national championships. www.naia.org | @NAIA