Champions of Character

Competing in the NAIA Heart of America Athletic Conference, Yellowjackets athletics has now been recognized for the student-athlete experience at Graceland. 

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced Graceland University as a 2023-2024 NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution. Graceland earned “Silver” for fostering character development to elevate the student-athlete experience.   

Each year, NAIA schools use the Champions of Character core report to measure the pursuit of character-driven athletics. Institutions gather points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition, and character promotion. They also gain points based on exceptional student-athlete GPAs, and minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the academic year.

This year, 209 member institutions earned this honor.   

“Athletics are an important representative of our school spirit and the values we champion at Graceland University,” says Interim President Joel Shrock, PhD. “This award validates the tireless dedication of our coaches. They truly take on a game-changing position in developing the character of our students as they study, practice, compete and grow here at Graceland.” 

“Character is a core strength in any athletic discipline,” Graceland University Athletic Director Brady McKillip, MS, knows. “We train it like the sport itself: from a healthy dose of optimism that you can set out to succeed, to the resilience to bounce back when things don’t go smoothly. Every once in a while, we as coaches need a little push, too, and the recognition by NAIA shows us we are on the right track.”