Rio Grande named Champion of Character Five-Star Institution

The University of Rio Grande is one of 203 NAIA institutions to be named Champions of Character Five-Star Award winners for the 2025-26 school year.

Rio Grande, which has been honored in every year except for 2020-21 since the program began in 2000, was a Silver Award recipient.

The Champions of Character Scorecard measures a commitment to character training, academic focus, character promotion, conduct in competition, and character recognition on a scale of 0-100 points.

Award levels are based on the number of points earned - gold (90-100 points), silver (75-89 points) and bronze (60-74 points).

"Being recognized as an NAIA Champion of Character Five-Star Institution Silver Honoree reflects who we are at the University of Rio Grande not just how we compete, but how we carry ourselves in the classroom, our communities, and every arena we step into," said Rio Grande athletic director Brandon Bias. "This honor belongs to our coaches, staff, and student-athletes who choose character every single day, and it reaffirms our commitment to developing champions in life, not just in sport."

The River States Conference, of which Rio Grande is a member, was among those recognized as a Champions of Character Five-Star Conference.

In addition to Rio Grande, 10 other RSC members were recognized including Indiana University Columbus, Indiana University Kokomo, Indiana University Southeast, Kentucky Christian University, Midway University and Shawnee State University at the Gold level; along with Brescia University, Indiana University East, Oakland City University and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College at the Silver level.