The Purdue University North Central softball team has earned the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Champions of Character team award.
The Champions of Character team award recognized a team with a documented display of exemplary character and sportsmanship on the field, on campus, and in the community, including outreach presentations of the Five Core Values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.
A single team is selected for each of the 23 National Championships Sports at the end of each competitive conference season. Institutions are nominated by schools within the conference. The Coaches Association for each conference sport then selects the winner prior to each National Championship.
PNC has been recognized as a Champions of Character institution in the past, with its athletics program earning Champion of Character status each year since the award was first granted in 2002.
The softball team members have initiated a number of community service activities on their own. They collected $500 in donations that they used to buy toys that they donated to Daniel's Cause, that were distributed to youngsters who were hospitalized during the holidays; they held softball clinics for area girls, they collected food that was given to local food pantries and volunteered with the LaPorte Salvation Army.