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Sterling College celebrates Warriors of Excellence 'Making an Impact'

Sterling College celebrates Warriors of Excellence 'Making an Impact'

Sterling College Athletic Department held the 2025 Warriors of Excellence "Making an Impact" Ceremony on Sunday, May 4. Students-athletes in attendance were recognized for their success on and off the field and celebrated for accomplishments throughout the year.

The ceremony began recognizing the "Lifters of the Year" which is awarded to one male and one female who best represent the mission of Sterling's strength and conditioning program. Football's Francisco Argott Jr. was won the award for the men while softball's Desiree Perales won the Award for the Women.

Master of Ceremonies and head volleyball coach John Harding then awarded the Warrior's of Excellence, naming one student-athlete from each sport who exemplifies the mission of Sterling College on and off the court. KCAC Champions of Characters were also presented at this time, one student-athlete for each sport. The recipients included (Warriors of Excellence on the left, Champions of Character on the right):

  • Trenton Canaan – Baseball – Gabe Maldonado
  • Jayden Garrison – Men's Basketball – Camden Carr
  • Kayla Morris – Women's Basketball – Evie Gill
  • Abigail Sawin – Cheer – Delany Woodworth
  • Daryen Jefferson – Men's Cross Country – Dawson Urwiller
  • Janie Perico – Women's Cross Country – Audrey Blake
  • Flinders Cameron – Football – Kendrick Bell
  • Nick Ritchie – Men's Golf – Oliver Aucoin
  • O'Brien Hall – Women's Golf – O'Brien Hall
  • Harvey Tolley – Men's Soccer – Daniel Stone
  • Mike Stone – Women's Soccer – Shyna Dale
  • Mallory Seidel – Softball – Madilynn Green
  • Jared Price – Men's Swimming – Jared Price
  • Lana Rodriguez – Women's Swimming – Lana Rodriguez
  • Kyosuke Ishida – Men's Tennis – David Garces
  • Greta Fankhauser – Women's Tennis – Ana Alvarez
  • Blake Robertson – Men's Track and Field – Daryen Jefferson (indoor)/Camden Carr (outdoor)
  • Aliya McClanahan – Women's Track and Field – Janie Perico (indoor)/Lana Rodriguez (outdoor)
  • Makenna Linden – Volleyball – Makenna Linden

Then three sophomores were awarded the Gleason Award which is presented to student athletes who have achieved the highest cumulative grade point average. The three included Camden Carr (men's basketball), Trinity Lutters (women's basketball) and Addie Struckoff (cheer).

The Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) presented four different awards: Salt Shaker, Outstanding Male and Female Newcomer, Outstanding Individual Performance and Outstanding Team Performance.

The Salt Shaker award was presented to football's Nate Criqui for displaying the best team spirit and energetic support of Warrior teams.

The Outstanding Female Newcomer was awarded to softball's Mariah Cunningham. McKenna Vogel from women's basketball was also a finalist for the award.

On the men's side, Outstanding Male Newcomer finalists include basketball's Julian Smith and baseball's Emmanuel Huerta Cardenas. Charles Jones ultimately won the award for his performance in track and field.

Finalists for the Outstanding Individual Performance include Hunter Pullen (football), Korynn Clason (women's basketball), Aliya McClanahan (volleyball), Mackenzie Viehland (softball), Julian Smith (men's basketball) and Jackson Parmenter (baseball). Track and field's Blake Robertson ultimately won the award for his performance at the NCCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the hammer throw.

SALT's final award was for Outstanding Team Performance and included women's basketball, football, volleyball, men's basketball, baseball, golf, cheer and track and field as finalists. Softball ultimately won the award.

The Lady Warrior softball team also took home the President's Cup. The President's cup is an award presented to the team that best represents the Warrior Athletic Department's values and mission: Christian Service, Christian Heritage, Warrior Spirit and Academic Excellence. Other finalists for the President's Cup include women's basketball, men's basketball, volleyball and cheer.

The final award of the ceremony was Outstanding Male and Female Athlete. The award is given to one male and female athlete based on their athletic and academic achievements and understanding of Sterling's "Warrior" culture.

On the women's side, volleyball's Aubrey Young and softball's Aiyana Campos were both finalists while basketball's Korynn Clason took home the award. For the men, baseball's Trenton Canaan and Luis Morales were finalists while football's Flinders Cameron ultimately won the award.

The Athletic Department closed by thanking the following people for their time and effort supporting Sterling's student athletes: The Sterling College Athletic Training Staff comprised of Dr. Pete Manely, Andrew Drake, Anna Tremaine, Tyler Jones, Dr. Amanda Burkhart, Kaylea Hein, Ashley Gaeddert, Ashley Flishinger and the Athletic Training Graduate Program; faculty athletic representative Pete Kosek; sports information director Taya Wilson and her graduate assistant Kamran Jones; academic success Brett Couture; Sterling College Physical Plant Brandon Winn and Vicky Kirchoff; and finally an extra special thank you to Bridgett Wyatt.

For pictures of Award Recipients CLICK HERE.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #swordsup. Watch all of the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network