OXFORD, Ohio – The River States Conference is pleased to announce that IU Southeast junior softball pitcher Hallie Foley is the 2025-26 Bill Melton Female Champion of Character recipient.
The annual RSC Bill Melton Champion of Character Award is given to a student-athlete for excellence in academics, athletics, and for embodying the five core values embraced by the NAIA.
Named after former conference commissioner Bill Melton, the award promotes and recognizes the core values of the NAIA's Champions of Character program which are respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership, and sportsmanship.
Candidates for this award must be at least a junior and must maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale. Other considerations for this award include campus and community leadership, embracing the NAIA's five core character values, and athletic achievement in their sport.
The award, which was established in 2015-16, is given out after athletic directors from around the River States Conference vote on the most-deserving candidate.
Foley will now be a candidate for the national NAIA Leroy Walker Award, the award which the Bill Melton Award is modeled after.
In submitting Foley for the award, IU Southeast softball Head Coach Courtney Holm lauded Foley's commitment to being a champion of character on and off the field.
"Hallie Foley is someone every coach wants on their team, not only as a player but as another coach/leader/role model," said Holm. "There is no other option other than 100% effort. If she isn't successful with something, she is someone who you can count on to come back the next day and conquer the challenge. She does not give up; she is a fighter."
Nominees for the Bill Melton Award are also asked to write a brief essay on how they exhibit the NAIA's five core values. In her essay, Hallie focused on how servant leadership has led to success on and off the field.
"Servant leadership is more than just a type of leadership to me; it is a way of life. My experiences in softball, academics, and faith have taught me the importance of lifting those around me," said Foley.
