INDIANAPOLIS – Rockhurst University has claimed its third 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 GLVC Spring Awards Reception on Tuesday, May 20 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 2024-25 academic year, several Hawks teams participated in community engagement and volunteer activities, including women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, softball, and men’s lacrosse. These activities included a range of service projects from packing food and snacks at local food banks and churches, planting trees, mentoring children from local schools and sports teams, painting schools, and donation item collection.
Moreover, the men’s basketball women’s soccer, baseball, men’s lacrosse, and men’s volleyball, who will join the GLVC in 2025-26, 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 14-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.