June 19, 2025

HELENA, Mont. – Dr. Scott Crawford, the Frontier Conference’s commissioner, is proud to announce the conference student-athletes, teams, and coach Champions of Character recipients to the NAIA national office.  Each gender was nominated in student-athletes and teams’ categories.  The Frontier Conference also awarded the School of Character.

The NAIA national awards winners will be announced on Sept. 15.

The individual Champions of Character, presented by WinWon Technologies, nominees were awarded to Abby Clark of Montana Tech and Matthew Iwamizu of College of Idaho. 

MT’s Clark was also selected for the Dr. LeRoy Walker Award, named in honor of the former NAIA and U.S. Olympic Committee president.  This award recognizes outstanding student-athletes for their academic, athletics, leadership, and dedication to live the core values of Champions of Character.  This award was created in association with the National Sports Foundation.

Montana Western women’s volleyball head coach Katie Lovett was named the Frontier Conference Coach of the Year.  Her Bulldog squad was also selected to the league’s Women’s Team of Character. 

Montana Tech’s football team was awarded the Frontier Conference Men’s Team of Character.

Carroll College earned the School of Character award for the Frontier Conference for the second straight year.

Abby Clark – Montana Tech Women’s Volleyball/Women’s Track & Field – Frontier Conference Female Student-Athlete of Character and Dr. LeRoy Walker Award nominee
A 3.88 graduate’s grade point average in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and a returning master’s student, Clark is a four-time Frontier Conference Champion in both the heptathlon and high jump for Montana Tech.  In addition, she is a four-time NAIA All-American and a key contributor to the Orediggers’ four consecutive women’s track & field conference titles.  She also competed for the Montana Tech women’s volleyball team.

Beyond the track, Clark is a leader in the campus community.  As President of Montana Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council, she has led major service efforts including the trick-or-treat for canned goods drive, the American Red Cross campus blood drive, and served as the chair of the planning committee for the Techspys, Montana tech’s annual student-athlete awards ceremony.

In recognition of her impact, Clark was named MT’s 2025 Athlete in Service Award recipient as part of the Montana Campus Compact initiative.  Her commitment to servant leadership, team success, and community betterment makes her a true Champion of Character and an inspiring example for student athletes across the conference. 

Matthew Iwamizu – College of Idaho Football – Frontier Conference Male Student-Athlete of Character
Iwamizu is a standout student-athlete whose impact is seen across academics, athletics, and service.  A three-year starter for the ‘Yotes football team, he has also served as a two-year team captain, leading both on the field and in community initiatives.  His service record is extensive.

Iwamizu has mentored youth and officiated games at the Boys’ & Girls’ Club in Grants Pass, coached in the Medford Manny League, and volunteered with Special Olympics events in both his hometown and at the College of Idaho.

Through Montana Ave. Church, he has helped with moves and event setups, and regularly assists College of Idaho alumni with moving, food preparation, and event coordination.

He plays a key role in campus service projects like the Bone Marrow Drive, Quarterback Club, and Annual Steakfeed, often acting as a spokesperson and organizer. 

Iwamizu has also contributed to the athletic department by volunteering at basketball and baseball games, helping with everything from broadcasting and ushering to concessions.  At the YMCA, he serves as a lifeguard while building relationships with older patrons and supporting youth and Special Olympics swim events.  He has also shadowed physical therapists at Action Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, reinforcing his dedication to service through future healthcare work.

Academically, Iwamizu is a two-time Dean’s List honoree and was named to the College Sports Communicators All-District Football Team in 2024.  He was nominated for the Yote STEEL Award, which honors athletes who embody team loyalty, college pride, and personal integrity.  His consistent leadership, service, and academic excellence make him a strong nominee for the Frontier Conference Champion of Character award.

Katie Lovett – Montana Western Women’s Volleyball Head Coach – Frontier Conference Coach of Character of the Year
Lovett is a passionate advocate for the Senior Women Leader (SWL) position across the Frontier Conference, working intentionally with other SWL’s to highlight its importance and empower those who serve in similar roles.  She incorporates Champions of Character values directly into her program culture.  One of the way she does this is by having members of their volleyball team lead regular presentations to their teammates on key topics such as mental health, relaxation techniques, nutrition, and the importance of being a good teammate.

These peer-led discussions promote leadership, responsibility, and personal growth—reinforcing the program’s core values within.  On the court, Lovett led her team to the most successful season in program history—highlighted by a monumental upset over No. 1 ranked and previously undefeated Northwestern (Iowa) in the NAIA National Tournament.

Her leadership and ability to maintain a character-driven culture while competing at the highest level is a testament to her values and coaching philosophy.  Her team also exemplifies servant leadership in action.  Each spring, members of the Bulldog volleyball program volunteer their time to coach local youth volleyball club teams. Offering mentorship and skill development to young athletes in the Dillon area. 

Lovett models this community-minded herself, serving as an active member of the Dillon Chamber of Commerce and building strong ties between Montana Western and her broader community.

Montana Western Women’s Volleyball Team – Frontier Conference Women’s Team Character Nearly every member of the Bulldog volleyball program gives back to the community by volunteering as a coach for the local youth club volleyball program in Dillon.  This ongoing commitment to mentoring young athletes reflects the team’s passion for service and their dedication to developing future leaders in the sport. 

The team leads the department in showing up for causes that go beyond athletics.  They are consistently the first program to volunteer, promote, and participate in campus events that support social justice and awareness.

Montana Western women’s volleyball team has been a visible and vocal present in events like “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” a demonstration to raise awareness of sexual assault and gender violence, and the campus Color Fun Run, which supports sexual assault awareness and prevention.  Their willingness to engage in these difficult but critical conversations set a powerful example for their peers and campus community.

This past season, the Bulldogs achieved a historic milestone by winning the program’s first-ever home NAIA playoff match against Oregon Tech.  In a true display of character and sportsmanship, the team paused their postgame celebration to respectfully join Oregon Tech in their tradition of forming a post-match circle to reflect on the game and honor each team’s journey.  It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the core values of character, respect, and humility that this award seeks to recognize.

Montana Tech Football Team – Fronter Conference Men’s Team Character Under the leadership of Head Coach Kyle Samson, the program is built on a foundation of character-driven leadership, respect, and accountability.  Beyond the field, the Orediggers football team is deeply committed to service.

The team organizes weekly volunteer efforts at the Butte Furniture Bank, helping local families in need.  They led campus-wide involvement in the Be the Match initiative, matching potential bone marrow donors with cancer patients in need of transplants.  Last year, this resulted in a football player donating stem cells to a matched patient in Arizona. 

The team also volunteers regularly at the Head Start Program, West Elementary, and East Middle School building meaningful relationships with local children through reading and mentorship.  The team is also our largest contributor to the Walk to School with the Orediggers Day each fall.
Each spring, the Oredigger coaching staff volunteers at the Little Feet Meet, supporting the Unified School Program and promoting inclusion through sport.

Montana Tech football represents what it means to be champions in character as well as competition, and they are a powerful example of positive impact collegiate athletics can have on individuals and communities.

Carroll College – Frontier Conference School of Character Carroll’s athletics is committed to what it means to be a school of character. This vision is shared throughout playing and practice facilities, locker rooms, hallways and clearly stated on messaging to athletes and staff. The Champions of Character values are visible and intentionally placed in areas where athletes and coaches spend the most time.

Beyond the five core values of the Champions of Character, Carroll developed the pillars for successful living, working, and competing at these standards. Upholding, reinforcing and celebrating these values is something CC student-athletes and staff do daily.

Student athletes, at Carroll, are held to a higher standard. They are guided, not only by the Champions of Character core values, our pillars for success, but also our Code of Conduct. We provide many opportunities to prepare our student athletes to be leaders and role models in our community, which is further promoted and initiated by our active SAAC group.

This year alone, our student-athletes, with the assistance and leadership from our SAAC hosted three Red Cross Blood Drives, served over 40 families in need over Thanksgiving with meals delivered to their homes or school, organized a winter clothing drive for our local Head Start program, helped raise over $15,000 for Hoops for a Cause, raised money to support two Carroll athletes battling cancer, helped setup and run the Special Olympics State Basketball tournament, contributed over 10 hours per/athlete to help with internal events and competitions at Carroll as well provided community support to many local organizations throughout the year.

These activities included, but not limited to: The Helena Humane Society, Florence Crittenton, YWCA, YMCA, Knights of Columbus, Shodair Hospital, TouchMark, local elementary and middle school volunteers as well as many youth athletic clinics throughout the school year.

These students also created our first-annual mental health awareness week where they provided different activities and services for our students during the week. The week included: free donuts and coffee, yoga under the lights, a sleep, breathing and relaxation presentation and activity, doggy daycare (dogs were provided by staff, students and our anthrozoology program) where students could relax and play with the dogs on the lawn, and finished with a “friend check-in” where students reached out to a friend, family member or teammate with no other motive other than to see how they were doing. This was a great week for our students and highlighted them as servant leaders on our campus.

Carroll’s student athletes are not alone in their initiatives and service within our campus and our community. Our athletic staff is also very active in creating a culture that highlights the five core values of the NAIA Champions of Character.  Staff participated in a cultural driven task force with measurable action items that included: community outreach, development of points of pride within the department, establishment and commitment to culture action items, enhancement of campus collaborations, and innovations that enhance operations.

These task forces were made up of coaches, staff, and athletic trainers and met throughout the year to develop and improve these areas of emphasis. The overall goal of these task forces was to identify where shortcomings are and to try and be better in the way that we serve Carroll’s students, serve their community as well as serve each other.

Carrol does monthly staff meetings when they designate time to announce our “Saints Special Moments”.  CC also highlight their student-athlete Champion of Character each month in our “Saints Spotlight”, they celebrated Title IX, and National Girls and Women in Sport.

Carroll celebrated our All Americans, team championships, scholar athletes, and recognize our athletes that exhibit the “best of the best” at our annual Halo Awards. CC’s end of the year banquet not only includes winners of athlete of the year, comeback player of the year, freshman of the year, scholar of the year, but more importantly, the “Team of Service”, most supportive professor, servant leadership award (voted on and given to someone on campus that goes above and beyond to serve our student athletes and our department), and lastly, their Male and Female St Sebastian winners. This award goes to the male and female athlete that best exemplifies what it means to be a Carroll College Fighting Saint, which is the reciprocal of being a Champion of Character.

Being a school of character is much more than reading the Champions of Character Core values before each competition or filling out the NAIA core report or score card. It is making sure all coaches have completed the NAIA online trainings before they begin coaching, it's about holding coaches and athletes to a higher standard and using the “Teachable Moments” platform to help them when they fall short, it's just about what they do daily, but, more importantly, who they are daily that really matters.

It is about being intentional in our daily work and the goals we set. It is an emphasis on building strong leaders, mentors, and teammates within Carroll’s athletics department. It's about providing training, resources, opportunities and encouragement to help our students and coaches operate in a place of integrity and respect.

About WinWon
Founded in 2022, WinWon is a sports technology company revolutionizing the way sports organizations operate. By building a custom platform to fit the needs of their partner schools and conferences, WinWon levels up athletic operations. WinWon ensures operational efficiency through streamlining processes, integrating systems, and bridging connections between conference and campus leadership, coaches, staff and student athletes.

WinWon is dedicated to supporting excellence in the world of athletics through modernization.To learn more, please visit winwontech.com