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News
Women's Soccer Team Receives Champions of
Character Award
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (1-3-2012) - The Mount
Vernon Nazarene University women's soccer
team has been selected from among all the
women's soccer teams at the NAIA level to
receive the prestigious Buffalo Funds Five
Star Champions of Character Award for the
2011 season.
The Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of
Character Award is selected annually at the
end of each sport season. All NAIA teams are
eligible for this award. They must be
nominated by their institution with the
recipient to be announced at the National
Championship. The winner is selected based
on their documented display of exemplary
character and sportsmanship on the field, on
campus, and in the community. Specifically,
fulfillment of at least one of the core
character values of Integrity, Respect,
Responsibility, Sportsmanship, and Servant
Leadership will be taken into consideration.
The Lady Cougars have been active in
many different ways outside the game of
soccer with projects. In their "Bigger or
Better" campaign, each team member started
with a dollar and then went door-to-door in
the community exchanging that dollar for
something bigger and better as they
eventually raised over $2,200 for local
children and families in need charities.
They collected over 550 pairs of shoes for
Soles for Souls, an organization that helps
provide shoes for people in foreign
countries. They also raised nearly $1,000 in
donations at their "Fight Cancer" game. In
addition, they held several free soccer
clinics for schools and community youth.
In the classroom, the MVNU women's
soccer team has been a standout as they
received Team Academic Awards from both the
NAIA and the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America. This past fall, a
school-record seven players were chosen as
NAIA Scholar-Athletes as junior or seniors
with a 3.5 grade point average or higher.
"The key to successful performance is
team chemistry," said MVNU coach Daniel
Seiffert, when asked why character is a
vital part of team chemistry and how it has
helped the Lady Cougars. "For the team to be
successful, you need players who possess a
strong foundational core which includes
being trustworthy, honest, hard-working,
fair, willing to put the team before self,
genuinely caring, responsible, and a
willingness to work diligently through
adversity. As a coach, you can build upon
this core with the unique qualities and
giftedness of each player, creating a team
that is successful in so many ways both on
and off the field. I attribute the success
of our teams the past three years directly
to the character qualities exhibited by our
student-athletes."
"The college years
are a time of monumental growth and development
for our student-athletes," Seiffert
continued. "I'm reminded of that every year
when we have our Senior Day game and again
at our season-ending team celebration. As I
reflect on the players and their collegiate
careers, it is proven time and time again
how character absolutely matters and how
important it is for us as coaches to ensure
that we provide the kind of environment that
promotes building strong character
foundations in our student-athletes. It is
their character more than anything else that
they will take with them upon graduation and
it is their character which will most
greatly impact their future relationships,
families, and professions."
Junior
midfielder Libby Kalanquin, who missed her
first two collegiate seasons due to knee
injuries, also commented on the character of
the Lady Cougars. "The girls on our team
genuinely care for one another. There are 11
girls on the field at a time, so that means
that there are 18 girls who are not playing
and some of them rarely even get minutes.
However, the encouragement from our bench
gets the entire team excited. It's not about
the minutes played, it is about the
fellowship. That is character. It is also
about being accountable for your 28 sisters.
This might be through praying for one
another, by calling a team meeting to work
out any problems, or by still cheering for
your team even though you are injured and
can't even compete. Character is doing what
you can for your team and not expecting
anything back from them. But, when the whole
team has character, you inevitably get
something in return - the love of 28 sisters."
"On behalf of our players, I would like
to thank the NAIA for recognizing our team
with this prestigious award," said Seiffert.
"The NAIA does a terrific job in promoting
the development of strong character
qualities throughout its organization and
its member teams. Their efforts along
these lines reflect what the intercollegiate
athletics experience should be all about for
our student-athletes. To be selected
out of 193 women's soccer programs is quite
humbling. It is a tremendous honor for
our players and their families as well as
for our program and our university as a
whole."
"Our primary goal is simple:
to honor God, our teammates and families,
and our university with our very best on the
field, in the classroom, and in our local
community," Seiffert added. "While our
players continue to excel in all of these
areas, they do so with such great hearts
toward genuinely serving each other and so
many others who are in need. It is a
privilege to be part of such a quality group
of young women and we are thankful for each
and every one of them."
MVNU finished the 2011 season with a
12-9-2 overall record. The Lady Cougars
advanced all the way to the championship
game of the Mid-Central College Conference
Tournament and then earned third place at
the National Christian College Athletic
Association National Tournament in
Kissimmee, Fla. | |
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