Champions Of Character Winners
Criteria for the Champion of Character Institutional Award: Member institutions that receive the highest score in the NAIA Champions of Character program, which is announced annually in July.
Criteria for the Colonel John Sullivan Male and Female Student Athlete of Character Awards: An AAC member institution can nominate any student-athlete who demonstrates the NAIA Champions of Character core values on and off the campus. Also, the school must provide a description of the leadership role(s) played by the nominee in the campus athletic program and in the community.
| Previous Winners | |||
| Year | Institution | Male | Female |
| 2025 | Bluefield, Brenau, Bryan, Columbia, Columbia International, Johnson, Kentucky Christian, Milligan, Pikeville, SCAD Atlanta, and Union Commonwealth | Ethan Stamey - Montreat | Dylan Garcia - Montreat |
| 2024 | Brenau, Bryan, Columbia International, Milligan, Montreat, St. Andrews, Truett McConnell, and Union Commonwealth | Wyatt Baggett - Montreat | Sydney Jordan - Montreat |
| 2023 | Bryan, Columbia, Kentucky Christian, Milligan, Truett McConnell, and Union | Aaron Jones - Milligan | Jenna Mallory - Montreat |
| 2022 | Bryan, Columbia, Johnson, Milligan, Montreat, and Union | Alex Mortimer - Milligan | Payton Landy - Montreat |
| 2021 | Columbia, Columbia International, Montreat, and Union | None Awarded | Haley Tye - Union |
| 2020 | Bluefield, Brenau, Columbia, Columbia International, Milligan, Montreat, and Union | Kyle Blassingame - Tennessee Wesleyan | Paige Jacobs - Union |
| 2019 | Columbia | Jonathan Russell - Miligan Christian Davis - Truett McConnell |
Rachel Gallison - Tennessee Wesleyan |
| 2018 | Columbia | Bo Pless - Milligan | Michaela Mathewon - Milligan |
| 2017 | SCAD Atlanta | Gerrard Newby - Union | Resacia DeGraffenreidt - Allen |
| 2016 | Columbia Truett McConnell |
Penzi Kakoma - Truett-McConnell | Lydia Nash - Union |
| 2015 | Columbia | Jacob Simmons - Tennessee Wesleyan Caleb Hardy - Truett-McConnell |
Meagan Taylor - Truett-McConnell |
| 2014 | Columbia | Jordan Lukacena - Montreat | Rad Autukaite - Virginia Intermont |
| 2013 | Columbia | Jonathan Adams - Reinhardt | Kimberly Key - Tennessee Wesleyan |
| 2012 | Columbia | Jared Nielsen - Montreat | Ashley Grimm - Virginia Intermont |
| 2011 | Tennessee Wesleyan | Benjamin Hall - Montreat | Rachel Landry - Milligan |
| 2010 | Milligan | Stephen Jackson - Montreat | Erin Cross - Montreat |
| 2009 | Covenant | David Villanueva - Bryan | Leah Anderson - Milligan Kryia Johnson - Covenant |
| 2008 | Covenant | Daniel Nielson - Covenant Thomas Nicholson - Montreat |
Rebecca Sasser - Covenant |
| 2007 | Virginia Intermont | Timothy Lewis - Montreat | Christen Leigh Noel -Bryan |
| 2006 | Milligan | Timothy Lewis - Montreat | Ashley Edwards - Tennessee Wesleyan |
| 2005 | Virginia Intermont | None Awarded | Kendall Rainey - UVa-Wise |
| 2004 | UVa-Wise Virginia Intermont |
Ty Sanders - Virginia Intermont | Jessica Stollings - King |