Loyola named NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Institution

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recently announced that Loyola University New Orleans has been selected as a Champions of Character Five-Star Institution at the Gold Level, the organization’s highest distinction.

After jumping from a Bronze-Level Institution to the Silver-Level Institution last year, the Wolf Pack was named a Gold-Level Institution in this year’s release, which marks the first time in University history that the department has reached this top level.

“I can’t think of a better way to cap off one of the most successful years in Loyola Athletics history. The Gold Level designation, the first for our department, is a testament to a commitment to service and pursuit of excellence by our student-athletes and coaches,” said Loyola Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brett Simpson. “The five core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship, and servant leadership align well with our Jesuit ideals and we strive to meet those each day.”

Loyola saw marked improvement in competition last year as the Wolf Pack jumped 78 spots in the final Learfield Cup standings to finish 94th out of the 249 institutions in the NAIA. It is the second biggest improvement by any institution in 2016-17. Additionally, seven Wolf Pack teams were represented at NAIA National Championships, most notably the men’s basketball team for the first time in 71 years, women’s basketball for the fourth season in a row, and men’s and women’s swimming who finished 14th and 15th at the National Meet.

This year’s Five Star Institution Honor represents the ninth-straight year that the Wolf Pack has earned this prestigious national award and the tenth time overall dating back to the 2002-03 season.

Loyola joins 183 NAIA institutions from across the country to receive the Five-Star Institution Award this year and the Wolf Pack is one of just 66 programs to earn the gold distinction in 2017.

Eight members of the Southern States Athletic Conference earned five-star status this year, led by Bethel, William Carey, and Loyola’s gold-level awards.

Institutions can be recognized as Champions of Character Five-Star Institutions on three different levels: Gold (90-100 points), Silver (75-89 points) and Bronze (60-74).

The Champions of Character Scorecard measures each institution’s commitment to the NAIA Champions of Character initiative. Points are earned in five key areas up to 100 total points. The areas where programs can earn points include: character training, academic focus, character recognition, character promotion and conduct in competition.

All institutions scoring 60 or more total points will be named Five Star Champions of Character Institutions for the academic year.