INDIANAPOLIS – Rockhurst University has claimed its second consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Challenge Trophy, it was announced by the league office Friday.
The GLVC SAAC Challenge Trophy will be formally presented to the Hawks at the Enterprise Rent-a-Car GLVC Spring Awards Reception on Tuesday, May 21 in St. Louis, Mo.
Rockhurst secured the win of this year's trophy by earning the most points that are awarded in each area of the six attributes of Division II: service, learning, passion, sportsmanship, balance, and resourcefulness.
During the 2023-24 academic year, several Hawks teams participated in community engagement and volunteer activities, including men’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s track & field, and volleyball. These activities included a range of service projects from packing food and snacks at local food banks, helping at charity walks, mentoring children from local schools and sports teams, trash clean-up, and donation item collection.
Moreover, both the men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse programs have a Team IMPACT kid on their roster. The organization matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, creating a long-term, life-changing experience for everyone involved.
In order to be eligible for the GLVC SAAC Challenge Trophy, schools must participate in an institutional SAAC-organized community engagement or service project, or a fundraising effort that makes a local and/or national impact. In addition, points are also awarded for each school’s finish in the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award standings and based on how many Academic All-Conference representatives and GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees they had in the previous academic season.
In the 13-year history of the award, Indianapolis has won 10 times, including five years in a row from 2009-14 and four consecutive times between 2016-19. Drury won the trophy for the 2008-09 academic year, while Missouri S&T was the other winner in 2014-15.