ATCHISON, Kan. - At the conclusion of each sports season - fall, winter and spring - the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) awards the Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Award to one program in each of it's championship sports.

Last week at the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Philadelphia, Penn., the Benedictine College men's soccer program and head coach Rob Herringer were named as the recipient of the Five Star Award for men's soccer.

The Raven soccer program's credo is - Always Seeking Excellence - and fits hand in hand with the five core values of the Champions of Character program. Those core values are respect, integrity, responsibility, servent-leadership and sportsmanship.     

"We are honored to receive the 2009 Champions of Character Award," said Coach Herringer. "Following our team credo, we consistently challenge our student-athletes to seek excellence in all aspects of their lives. We hope that by teaching these values to our players that they will develop life skills which they will use following their time at Benedictine."

According to Coach Herringer, as a collegiate soccer program in a small midwest community, he feels that it is part of the responsibility of his program to promote the game of soccer to children who normally only get exposure to football, basketball and baseball. Over the past year, the program has reached out to other communities in need, donating uniforms, balls and other equipment when possible.

"We expect our student-athletes to represent themselves and this college with class and professionalism on a daily basis," Coach Herringer said. "We are grateful for the recognition we have received and will continue to do everything we can to make a difference in the lives of others."

Coach Herringer and the Ravens are coming off a season for the record books. The Ravens earned the 2009 Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) regular season championship and advanced to the 2009 NAIA Men's National Soccer Championships in Fresno, Calif. They finished with an overall record of 16-3-1, falling to Notre Dame (Ohio) in the second round of the tournament.
  
There are 218 NAIA schools who sponsor men's soccer and who were eligible to compete for the Five Star Award.
    
The NAIA and Champions of Character founding partner Buffalo Funds present Buffalo Funds Five Star Awards for each of the NAIA's 23 championship sports. Teams that receive this prestigious award demonstrate in every day decisions respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship. These institutions and athletic programs strive for excellence in and out of competition and are part of communities throughout the country dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics.

To learn more about Raven soccer and Benedictine College go to www.ravenathletics.com.