Huntington named NAIA Five-Star institution

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced that Huntington University has been named a recipient of the annual Champions of Character Five Star Award for the 2023-24 school year. It's the 13th time since 2010 that Huntington has received this distinguished designation.

One of 209 institutions, HU received the award based on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character which measures character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion on a scale of 0-100.

Award levels are based on the number of points earned: gold (90-100 points), silver (75-89 points and bronze (60-74 points) with HU being named to the silver level.  

Institutions are measured using the NAIA Scorecard and is based on the NAIA's flagship program Champions of Character, which emphasizes the five core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

"This honor is a reflection of our coaches' and student-athletes' commitment to use athletics as a platform to demonstrate sportsmanship in competition, excellence in the classroom and service in the community," said HU athletic director Lori Culler.

"Participation in athletics at Huntington University is so much more than wins and losses, it's an opportunity to develop and grow while impacting the world around them for Christ."

Conferences with at least 60% of their members earning Five Star recognition are designated as Champions of Character Five Star Conferences. Nine of the ten Crossroads League institutions received this award and as such, the Crossroads League has been named a Champions of Character Five Star Conference.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 160 NAIA All-America honors and 567 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.