At their spring meeting of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Board of Governors meeting, HAAC officials announced Carrie Lierz of Peru State was selected as the conference's female Champions of Character scholarship winner.

The HAAC annually awards a $1,000 scholarship to both a male and female student-athlete who best represents the NAIA Champions of Character initiative. The recipient of the award must be a student-athlete who will enroll at his or her institution the following fall semester. 

Lierz, a senior-to-be from Holton, Kan., was selected by Peru State's athletic department as their nominee.   In learning of her award, Lierz said, "I am humbled just to be selected by Peru State to represent my college.   When I learned of this conference recognition, it makes me feel very proud to be a student-athlete, not only at Peru State, but in the Heart of America Athletic Conference."

Recently, Lierz was the HAAC's nominee for the NAIA's A.O. Duer Award.

Athletic Director Steve Schneider stated Carrie is very deserving of this recognition.  Schneider noted, "Carrie embodies what the Champions of Character is all about.  She is a true role model for all student-athletes.  We are very happy for Carrie and her most recent honor."

Members of the athletic department staff prepared the following nomination for Lierz which was centered around the five core values of the Champions of Character initiative.  The nomination follows in its entirety.

"Play for the name on the front of the jersey and they will remember the name on the back."

Walter Rooney

Carrie Lierz is a student-athlete who is not satisfied with what she has accomplished thus far, and what she will do in the future pales by comparison.   In addition, with that being said, the quote which begins this nomination truly fits Carrie as she is not worried about her personal accomplishments, but rather what happens with everything she is involved with at Peru State College.  From athletics to academics to extra-curricular to serving others, Carrie puts everything she has into the things she does and to this point, Carrie has done everything very well.  Considering all of this, Peru State is proud to nominate Carrie Lierz for the HAAC Champions of Character Award.

Three years ago, Carrie arrived on campus and joined the volleyball squad.   After her first three years of not only playing volleyball, but becoming very involved on campus, her work, while maybe not knowing so, has incorporated the five core values of the NAIA's Champions of Character – Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, and Servant Leadership.

INTEGRITY is a combination of all inward traits that build upon one another to determine who a person really is in life.   Carrie demonstrates those traits through her honesty, her poise, her patience, her determination, and her passion.  She knows and does what is right in every situation.  As Carrie pursues a career in the medical field, these traits will be key to her future successes.  While she is not an elite athlete, it is her determination to be the best she can be and to help her teammates to do the same while exerting every ounce of effort she can give at any one time. 

Maybe Carrie's strongest core value is RESPECT.  Each underlying aspect of respect as identified in Champions of Character initiative is something Carrie emulates on a daily basis.  She is accepting of all, she is considerate of others, she is always encouraging others, and she appreciates the guidance of all whom are trying to help her.  One of her biggest traits is being attentive and ready to learn – whether it be from her coaches, officials, faculty members, or anyone is prepared to offer her guidance.   Carrie has gained the respect of many, not only on the campus, but in her community, because she shows that same respect to all with whom she has contact.

As RESPONSIBILITY is the social force that binds a person to the group, Carrie has demonstrated this by being voted/elected/selected to the many positions of leadership over the course of her three years at Peru State.  It is obvious that Carrie's peers are confident she can handle the responsibility of being a leader which has resulted in her being twice to the Student Senate and most recently was elected to serve a second year as the President of the Residence Hall Association (RHA).  In the latter, the RHA has become a much more active group on campus and much of the credit can go to Carrie's leadership.  In addition to the commitment to be a successful volleyball player, Carrie balances her other responsibilities along with maintaining a near-perfect grade point average.

As SPORTSMANSHIP is the following of rules, spirit, and the etiquette of athletic competition, Carrie demonstrates this aspect by modeling the types of behavior expected, both in terms of fairness and with respect to her opponents.   Carrie  has the ability to be cooperative with her teammates, opponents, coaches, and officials in the mutual quest for excellence.  She would be considered to probably be the most gracious and honorable individual on the current volleyball team and is very humble in accepting any accolades which come her way.

As SERVANT LEADERSHIP is serving the common good, Carrie is truly one of those who exhibit the core value of servanthood – that caring for and meeting the needs of others before caring for herself.  She is selfless with her work and she understands the links between individual effort and group achievement.   Carrie has to be in the top five percent of all of Peru State's student-athletes who embodies the true meaning of servant leadership as she is willing to work hard and to serve and help others.

In addition to the above-mentioned information, Carrie is an excellent student-athlete and serves others in many ways.  Carrie was recently named to represent the HAAC as the NAIA's A.O. Duer Award winner which is indicative of why Peru State is nominating her for this scholarship opportunity.  She maintains a grade point average of 3.948 in biochemical science, one of the toughest majors on our campus.  In addition, this fall, Carrie was named as a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and also was named to the Capital One District Academic First Team.  Besides what has been mentioned early, Carrie has been involved in the Peru City-Wide Clean-Up, Nemaha County Gives Back, Vacation Bible School, Feeding 44, and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Carrie's future goal is to enter the medical field.  By virtue of what we have seen in Carrie in her three years at Peru State, we are sure she will be very successful at whatever she does.  And, she will still be playing/working for the name on the front of the jersey when doing so as long as she does something for the greater good of others.

Carrie Lierz is a fine example of what the Champions of Character is intended to produce – a young woman who does exhibit and will continue to exhibit the five core values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, and Servant Leadership.

The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to Lierz at the beginning of the 2014 fall term at Peru State.