Greenville, SC:  The NCCAA is pleased to recognize recipients of the Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Award, Meritorious Service Award, Presidential Award, and Sports Ministries Award.

GP4L Character Award: Female Student-Athlete | Male Student-Athlete | Female Athletics Staff | Male Athletics Staff
Meritorious Service Award
Presidential Award
Sports Ministries Award
Wilhelmi-Haskell Stewardship Award
  
  

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Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Award  
The purpose of this award is to recognize NCCAA student-athletes and athletics staff who epitomize the Christian character qualities of LOVE, INTEGRITY, FAITH, and EXCELLENCE.  
  
This year’s Game Plan 4 LIFE Female Student-Athlete Character Award recipient is Alexa Hill from Grace College. Alexa, a senior women’s volleyball student-athlete, is known for her drive and commitment to excellence. She has been a standout leader on her team, serving as a team captain and leading many team functions both on campus and in the community. She served as a student leader on a team mission trip to the Dominican Republic in 2019, works with local elementary students through various volunteer service opportunities, and is a mentor to other student-athletes at Grace. Alexa is a two-time recipient of the Susan R. Hellings award, which recognizes Christian leadership athletically, academically, and in the community.

Alexa studies Elementary Education and is a two-time Daktronics NAIA Scholar (2018, 2019) and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete (2018, 2019). She also works in the Education Department at Grace as a personal assistant to the faculty members. On the court, she is known by her opponents to have humility not only in defeat, but humility in the face of accomplishment. In the 2019 season alone she contributed 1,369 assists, 365 digs, 41 blocks, and 72 kills. She is ranked No. 10 in NAIA total assists, and is second in all-time career assists at Grace with 4,537. Alexa has twice been named to the NCCAA DI Midwest All-Regional Team.

Grace College athletic director Chad Briscoe said, “Alexa has been a student-athlete who sets a high standard of Christian excellence. Her leadership and servant-like attitude have helped build a strong culture in the women’s volleyball program during her four years as a student at Grace.”

“Her drive and commitment to excellence have been demonstrated in her many athletic accomplishments,” stated head women’s volleyball coach Katie Van Hofwegen. “And while we are so proud of all that she has accomplished athletically, her true legacy to our program will be the way she relied on her faith and led others to the cross during some of the most challenging times of her life.”
  
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This year’s Game Plan 4 LIFE Male Student-Athlete Character Award recipient is Tanner Youngberg from University of Northwestern (UNW). Tanner, a men’s basketball student-athlete, is known for his tremendous work ethic, and is described by his coaches as the hardest worker on the court. He is consistently focused on the betterment of the team, the growth of underclassmen, and the overall success of Northwestern athletics as a whole. Even with his exemplary leadership skills, Tanner is coachable, always wanting to learn to be better in whatever is set before him.

In the 2019-20 season, Tanner joined the 1,000 point club and became the Eagles all-time leading offensive rebounder after averaging a double-double throughout the season. He led the Eagles on a 13-game win streak, captured an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title, and was set to compete in the NCCAA North Central Regional Championship game prior to its cancellation. Tanner is a three-time UMAC All-Conference honoree and two-time member of the NCCAA North Central All-Regional team.

Tanner’s pursuit of excellence extends far beyond the basketball court. He recently graduated with a 3.92 GPA and a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is a two-time NCCAA Scholar-Athlete and 2020 CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American. He has spent time volunteering at Feed my Starving Children, various campus outreach events, and served as a teacher’s assistant in the business department.

Head men’s basketball coach Tim Grosz stated, “As a member of our basketball team, he consistently shows exemplary leadership and people skills; he is also always open to feedback and strives to get better. In my opinion though, Tanner’s biggest strength is that he is a man of character who cares about others.”

“Tanner is dedicated and goes the extra mile to make sure he is performing at the highest level possible,” stated UNW athletics director Matt Hill.” He has made a lasting impact on a program that competes at the national level year in and year out.”
  
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This year’s Game Plan 4 LIFE Female Athletic Staff Character Award recipient is Hilary Lakes from Campbellsville University (CU). Hilary serves as the head cross country coach at Campbellsville University. She is a special part of the athletic department at CU and is a stern yet loving coach. She requires discipline on and off the field from her runners and as a result her teams have one of the highest GPA’s in the country. She is invested in life transformation for her athletes and a runner will not leave her team without the opportunity to accept Christ as their personal Savior. 

Hilary makes sure her runners are involved in service projects throughout the community. She herself is involved in a mentoring program at a local high school where she allows young students to shadow her and her work. She recently traveled with Campbellsville University’s athletic department on a mission trip to Costa Rica where she worked with young kids, sharing Jesus and teaching sports.

Hilary has earned numerous honors for her dedication to coaching, including Mid-South Conference Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year (2015) and Mid-South Conference Women’s Track Coach of the Year (2013). Her athletes have also been recognized for numerous NAIA and NCCAA awards throughout her years coaching at Campbellsville.

Hilary’s husband, Brandon, is the Assistant Director of Activities at Campbellsville University and serving students has become a big part of their family and life together. They have a two-year-old daughter and are expecting another girl in July. 

“Hilary is a very special person,” stated assistant athletic director, Eric Graves. “She is the epitome of a runner’s coach. She takes a young 18-year-old runner and molds that runner into a leader.”
  
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This year’s Game Plan 4 LIFE Male Athletic Staff Character Award recipient is Gui Fadlalla from Kansas Christian College (KCC). Gui is the men’s soccer coach and also serves as the director of campus ministries. He demonstrates care and consistent love not only for his players, but also for the faculty, staff, and volunteers surrounding his program. He sees soccer as a tool to point young men to Jesus, and has created a discipleship culture within his team, and on the campus at KCC.

Prior to being named head coach at KCC, Gui spent 7 years developing a church and soccer ministry in the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil. His ministry began by simply knocking on doors and providing individuals with basic hygiene items. This led to the development of a church known as Two or More and a soccer ministry known as Rio Fire. Rio Fire trained disadvantaged youth in basic soccer skills, but its main purpose was to share the gospel of Jesus Christ daily. 

Gui has had great success as a soccer coach from the beginning. In his first season with the Falcons in 2017 he led the team to an NCCAA Southwest Regional Championship and earned the No. 1 seed at the NCCAA DII National Championship. The very next year they went on to win another NCCAA Southwest Regional Championship and entered the NCCAA DII National Championship as the No. 2 seed. He has twice been named NCCAA Regional Coach of the year.

Chad Pollard, KCC President stated, “Though he has had a winning soccer program since the beginning, winning is not what is most important to him. The most important thing to him is that each of the young men in his program have a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
  
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Meritorious Service Award
Dr. Chris Carmichael, Bob Jones University | Division II Women's Soccer National Chair, 2017-2020
T-Ray Fletcher, Oakland City University | Baseball National Chair, 2017-2020
Jesse Godding, Southwestern Assemblies of God University | Division I Central Regional Coordinator, 2017-2020
Mark Goetsch, Pensacola Christian College | Division II South Regional Coordinator, 2017-2020
John McGillivray, Cedarville University | Division I Midwest Regional Coordinator, 2017-2020
Jeremy Miller, Kentucky Christian University | Division II Men's Soccer National Chair, 2017-2020
Jared Sellars, Pensacola Christian College | Division II Women's Basketball National Chair, 2017-2020
Dr. Matthew Webb, Houghton College | Division I Men's Soccer National Chair, 2014-2020
Chris Williams, Southern Wesleyan University | NCCAA President, Vice President, 2011-2020
  
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Presidential Award
The NCCAA is pleased to provide an annual All-Sports Award to be presented to one Division I and one Division II member institution. Points are earned based upon a team's finish in an NCCAA National Championship. See full results at thenccaa.org/presidential.

Division I Recipient- Cedarville University

Division II Recipient- Bob Jones University
  
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Sports Ministries Award
The purpose of this award is to recognize member institutions having significant spiritual outreach through the utilization of athletic ministries.
 
This year’s Sports Ministries Award recipient is Columbia International University (CIU).
During the 2019-20 academic year, the CIU Rams teams went on mission trips and served in various ministries. Baseball, softball, and women’s volleyball teams served on international mission trips or had individuals serve on one. Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field, and volleyball teams served in ministries such as sports camps, mentoring in local schools, trunk or treat community outreach, refugee ministry, and more. Additionally, the women’s soccer and softball teams make an impact on opponents by writing a note to each player and sharing a quick devotional thought during the post-game prayer circle.
 
Children, teenagers, athletes, refugees, and more were ministered to throughout the year. Below is a list of some of the ministries served over the course of the year:
 
Hoop for Hope Summer Basketball Camp (Columbia, SC)
Trunk or Treat Outreach (Columbia, SC)
Chicago Eagles (Chicago, IL)
L’Arcada Christian Camp (Spain)
Honoring the Father Ministries (Ocala, FL)
  
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Wilhelmi-Haskell Stewardship Award
Named for NCCAA founders, Norm Wilhelmi and E.C. Haskell, the Wilhelmi-Haskell Stewardship Award is awarded to individuals who, over a period of years, have exhibited dedicated work and loyal support of the NCCAA program and ministry.

This year's Wilhelmi-Haskell Stewardship Award recipient is Gabe Wallis. Gabe served as the NCCAA National Statistician from 2004-2018. During this time, Gabe helped form processes for schools to report their game-by-game season stats to the national office, giving the NCCAA the ability to track stats for awards and historical purposes. He also served on a committee to adapt the Burbridge Rating system to the NCCAA Power Rating system. Under that system, he spent countless hours tracking down and entering results for each team to ensure accurate ratings. Gabe’s work was essential to the growth of the statistical services offered to NCCAA members.

NCCAA Executive Director Dan Wood said, “Gabe Wallis served NCCAA members part-time, putting in full-time hours, for over a decade and literally built the statistical forerunner for what we have today. We owe him a great deal of appreciation and this award is a but a small token of our thanks."