NEW ALBANY, Ind. – IU Southeast has been named an NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Award gold status winner for the 2025-26 academic year.
IU Southeast was one of 203 member institutions to earn this honor.
From the NAIA, institutions are measured on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earn points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by having minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.
The NAIA describes the 2025-26 Five-Star Conference Award Criteria as this:
- Established Champions of Character Conference Committee
- Conference has a conduct in competition oversight committee composed of a minimum of three members
- At least 60% of members institutions must receive the NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award
"We have just concluded an extraordinary athletics season, highlighted by three conference championships and a fifth-place national finish by our baseball team," said IU Southeast Athletic Director Tod Bannister. "Receiving the NAIA Five-Star Award is equally gratifying because it recognizes the outstanding character our student-athletes demonstrated not only in competition, but also in the classroom."
