Hizak and Bartz were selected by the NAIA Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives from a field of nominees who attend NAIA member institutions. Candidates must achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical and Bethany College will receive a $1,000 scholarship award from Daktronics in the name of the winner. Hizak and Bartz are tremendous representatives of character driven athletics and have experienced great success in and out of competition.

“At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I have worked hard to follow the athletic department’s ultimate goal to become the “total package,” which is student, person and than player,” said Hizak. “I discovered a new meaning of the Champions of Character program that for me became a guide to a more successful collegiate career.”

Hizak went 30-1 in his third season with the Eagles with his only loss coming to Oklahoma State’s Ivan Puchkarov in the second round of the ITA NCAA Division I Intercollegiate Indoor Tennis Championship. His 16-0 dual match record included a 5-0 mark in Florida Sun Conference Play, which earned him the league’s Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row. Accompanying his tennis accolades are numerous off court honors. Hizak found a spot on the Dean’s List  in 2005 and 2006, was a recipient of the ERAU Champions of Character award, took home the James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award and works with UNICEF Toys for Tots in the Daytona area.  

 

Joining Hizak is Darcy Bartz, a senior student-athlete at Bethany College. Bartz will graduate in May of 2008 with majors in English Teaching and Philosophy.  A standout player on the softball field, Bartz is active in many areas on and off campus. She is the president and co-founder of the Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter, senior resident assistant in the residence halls on campus, campus ministries coordinator, creative writing club co-founder and president, Bethany College ambassador, humanities department work study secretary, tutor of Introduction to Philosophy, CHUMS mentor in Lindsborg and involved in the honors program.

“Darcy is the epitome of the student-athlete, said Kristin Van Tassell, PhD., Department of English at Bethany College. “When I see Darcy lead the creative writing club, and when I see her perform so confidently and well in class, I have little difficulty imagining her role on the softball field, where she has excelled as both a player and team leader.”

Bartz leads by example on her team and uses the opportunity to compete in softball as an avenue to teach others the fundamental skills behind the sport. In the Lindsborg community, Bartz works with the YMCA softball league and serves as a coach for seventh and eighth graders in Dickinson County.

Both Hizak and Bartz represent the ideals of the NAIA scholar athlete as evidenced by their scholarship, character, citizenship and athletic ability. To learn more about the NAIA and other national and sport specific awards visit www.naia.org.

NAIA

A leader in the development of student-athletes, the NAIA is committed to changing the culture of sport through Champions of Character. Founded in 1937, the NAIA continues to be a pioneer in implementing exceptional standards for academics, diversity, and character. Today, the NAIA sponsors 23 collegiate championships in 13 sports for its nearly 300 member institutions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more about the NAIA visit www.naia.org.

Daktronics

Daktronics is the Official Scoreboard, Timer, Video and Message Center provider of the NAIA. Daktronics is also the exclusive statistical provider of the NAIA. Daktronics also sponsors the NAIA Scholar-Athlete Awards and provides Web casts for National Championship events. Daktronics designs, manufactures, sells and services dynamic visual communication systems for customers worldwide. Daktronics has installed tens of thousands of scoreboards and display systems in more than 70 countries since 1968 when the company was founded. Daktronics customers are typically sports organizations, businesses of all types and sizes and government entities. To learn more visit www.daktronics.com.