Women's Tennis earned the highest GPA of all SDC teams at 3.67. Volleyball was next with a 3.31 GPA and followed by women's cross country (3.29), women's soccer (3.26), men's cross country (3.21) and men's tennis (3.06)

In total, 1,585 teams across the NAIA earned the Scholar-Team honor. For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar-Team award, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team grade point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.

To see the full list of scholar-teams, click here.

"I am extremely excited and humbled to be in this position," Westermann said. "We have the amazing opportunity to be used by the Lord to impact young men and women who He brings to SDC."

Westermann has a Bachelor of Education degree in Sports Management from Gonzaga University in 2006 and was an All-West Coast Conference performer as the captain of his Division I soccer team. He continued his education, completing his Master's in Athletic Administration from Liberty University in 2013.

"Josh Westermann has demonstrated his commitment to the mission of SDC and has established his programs with integrity over the past three years," Dr. Jon DePriest, Vice President for Academics and Student Services, said. "His academic credentials will serve him well as he undertakes these larger administrative and leadership responsibilities."

The athletic staff and administration will add some additional support around Westermann in both administrative support and in the soccer programs to allow him to bring leadership to the athletic department. Westermann will continue to be the head soccer coach both for the men's and women's team during the process.

"Our biggest goal is always to help students grow in their walk with Christ," Westermann said. "SDC provides the arena in which we are not only allowed, but also expected to provide mature Christian leadership.

"We look to continue to raise the level of play on the field and carry on the success we have experienced recently. Ultimately, the more success we have, the more opportunities we have to share the gospel and bring the glory to God."

San Diego Christian College is a faith-based liberal arts college located in the east county of San Diego in the city of Santee, California. It offers 13 bachelor degrees in its traditional residential program and 7 bachelor degrees, a graduate degree, concurrent enrollment programs, and a teacher credential program in its non-traditional programs. SDC has 5 men's athletic teams and 6 women's athletic teams. It is part of the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

SANTEE, Calif. – Kyle Ferguson, San Diego Christian College's Athletic Director, announced his resignation, effective summer 2016.   

Ferguson has accepted a full-time faculty position at Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho.

"It is a bittersweet moment for me and my family," Ferguson said. "I have been blessed by my time at SDC with great professional and personal relationships. However, teaching has always been a dream of mine, and I could not pass up this opportunity. I know that God has great things in store for SDC and the institution and athletic department will continue to move forward in a positive direction."

Ferguson, a Grand Island, Neb. native, assumed the role as Director of Athletics in July of 2013 after serving two years as Sports Information Director. As Director of Athletics, Ferguson was instrumental in the SDC Campus Relocation in January 2014. As a byproduct of the relocation, Ferguson procured and coordinated off-campus practice and game facilities.

Ferguson implemented a variety of policies and procedures to better serve students and the SDC community as a whole, including creating a vision statement, mission statement, core values, and philosophy for the athletic department.

Under Ferguson, SDC Athletics has continued to experience success on the field and court, highlighted by the baseball program's appearance in the 2014 NAIA Avista College World Series. In addition, SDC has added Softball, Women's Tennis, and Men's Tennis in Ferguson's tenure, with men's tennis finishing their inaugural season ranked No. 8 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll and a quarter-final birth in the 2015 NAIA National Tournament.

In the classroom, student-athletes have also excelled. In 2013-2014, SDC student-athletes earned a combined 3.26 GPA while 5 teams were honored as an NAIA Scholar Team. In 14-15, SDC student-athletes finished with a combined 3.21 GPA and six teams were honored an NAIA Scholar Teams.

The search for Ferguson's replacement will begin immediately.

Men's and women's soccer accounted for three each and volleyball for two.

In order to be nominated by an institution's head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status to qualify for this honor.

Men's Soccer:

Chandler Corzine, Pedro Henrique, and Justin Salas were the honorees for the men's side. Henrique earned an All-GSAC award as well for his 13 goal five assist performance on the season. The Hawks ended the season with an 11-8 record but fell in the GSAC Tournament opening round to the Master's College. The 11 wins were the second most ever in the school's history.

Women's Soccer:

Amanda Massey, Vivian Oray, and Samantha Schmidt earned the award on the women's team. Oray led the team with 12 goals and seven assists and too was named to the All-GSAC team. SDC finished the season with a record of 9-8-1 and made it to the conference tournament, where they were defeated by Vanguard in the opening round.

Volleyball:

Aleka Estrada and Alexa Lambert were the two awarded from the Hawks who finished the season with a 15-12 record, which was their first winning season since 2002.

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The Hawks earned 64 points based on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earned points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by having minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.

There are three levels that are awarded: Gold (90-100+ points), Silver (75-89 points) and Bronze levels (60-74).

SDC was one of 168 NAIA schools awarded as a Five-Star Institution. New GSAC member Menlo ranked the highest in the GSAC with a score of 92.

To see the full list of institutions, click here.

A total of 1,502 teams were awarded for the 2014-15 academic year.

Women's Cross Country led all Hawks programs with a 3.67 GPA. Volleyball came in a close second at 3.52 followed by Women's Soccer (3.26), Women's Basketball (3.21), Softball (3.08), and Baseball (3.03).

For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar-Team award, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team grade point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.

To see the full list of the NAIA Scholar Teams, click here. 

The Cliff Hamlow Champion of Character Award is given to one male and one female student-athlete on each GSAC campus who demonstrates outstanding athletic achievement, campus and community leadership, future ambition and embraces the five core character values of the NAIA Champions of Character program (Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership). Student-athletes must be at least a junior academically and carry a 3.0 GPA.

Campbell was a member of the women's soccer team the past two seasons helping the program reach the GSAC semi-finals in 2014, the furthest the program has ever gone.

"Jontae has been one of my favorite players to coach," Head Coach Josh Westermann said. "She's been the captain of our team over the last two years. She uses her position as captain to serve the other players on the team. I can remember numerous times she would reach out to the underclassmen and help them feel appreciated."

The senior captain was a GSAC Scholar Athlete in 2014 and held a 3.81 GPA. Campbell was a two-time All-GSAC player in 2013 and 2014. She also has a heart for the Lord as she travelled to Burundi, Africa for two weeks during the Summer of 2014 on a missions trip. She attends Community Bible Church and is involved in their House of Worship. She plans on going into ministry full-time overseas using her Psychology major to reach out to youth.

Leih has been with SDC for all four years playing in a total of 41 games in the four seasons. He is a two-time GSAC Scholar Athlete in 2013 and 2014 and currently holds a 3.6 GPA.

"He has been a steady contributor on the field for our men's soccer team all four seasons he has been here," Coach Westermann said. "He helped lead us to back-to-back GSAC playoffs for first time in school history 2012-13 and is our spiritual leader on our team."

Leih served the Lord and went on mission trips to Thailand and Laos during the Summer of 2014. He was one of the leaders of the SDC team that went to Joplin, Missouri in their time of need. He also was heavily involved in SALT ministry for Homeless.

After he graduates, Leih is planning on attending Cal Baptist University to pursue a Masters degree.

The award is named after former Commissioner Cliff Hamlow who served the conference from its inception in 1986 to 2012. Dr. Hamlow was also a key leader in the creation of the NAIA's Champions of Character program.

"I am pleased that we were able to develop an award like this that honors deserving student-athletes in regards to the character ideals that they hold as part of the NAIA and the GSAC," said current GSAC Commissioner Mike Daniels.

A banquet will be held at the Doubletree Hotel close to Orange County's John Wayne Airport and begin at 4:30pm. On Sunday, March 8. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the GSAC office.

To see the full list of student-athletes earning this award click here. 

Institutions are measured on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earned points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions earned points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by having minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.

SDC was awarded a Bronze medallion, earning 74 points out of 100. The Hawks were one point shy of reaching the "Silver medallion" criteria.

Concordia was tops in the conference with a rating of 85. The GSAC was selected as a Five-Star Conference and Concordia earned more points than any other conference institution.  Biola was second with 84 points

To see the entire list of schools and their grades, click here. 

"We were blessed with the opportunity to serve through a variety of opportunities," SDC Athletic Director Kyle Ferguson said. "This was not something just done by our student-athletes, but by every student at San Diego Christian. I am not only proud of our student-athletes, but proud to work for an institution that desires service in the name of the Lord."

Most of the teams contributed with cleaning out the San Diego riverbed and the Surf and Serve mission, while others did camps and special projects.

Here's a deeper look at those special projects by team:

Men's and Women's Soccer:

The SDC soccer program traveled down to Tecate, Mexico to partner with the Tecate Bible Institute. The Tecate Bible Institute has been trying hard to reach the local kids of their community through the common love of soccer, and SDC was able to help them make a first step to creating that bond with the kids through soccer.

The teams instantly hopped into playing street soccer with local high school boys. After a few hours of street soccer, the team then took the field to host a soccer clinic for over 50 community kids and adults. The team then shared the gospel with the help of a few local pastors from the Tecate Bible Institute. Through hosting this clinic, the local pastors were able to receive the addresses and phone numbers from all those children and are looking forward to hosting the SDC soccer team for another soccer clinic in the near future.

Next they turned their attention to improving the facilities at the Tecate Bible Institute. Players from the men's team shoveled and wheel barrowed manure for a garden the institute is planting to help become more self-sustaining. The women's team spent time investing in the lives of the young kids that hang around the institute. Our soccer teams were blessed to serve together and look forward to returning and working with the Tecate Bible Institute again in the near future.

Baseball:

On Friday the team conducted a free baseball clinic to the (8-10 year old) minor league little league  program in Tierrasanta. The players joyfully and enthusiastically taught pitching, catching, infield, outfield and hitting, rotating the kids through 5 stations on four fields. The President of Tierrasanta little league invited the team back in the spring to do another clinic that they want to advertise for.  Coach Bando was shared the gospel through his testimony to the kids and parents.  Players tirelessly signed autographs and took pictures with all the kids as a big group and individually, and really encouraged the kids as they were smiling all day.

On Saturday the team played Imperial Valley Community College at Valhalla High School.  After the game, Graduate Assistant Coach Chris Gonzalez shared the gospel through his testimony to his former JC team. The players were a living testimony to Imperial Valley student athletes, coaches and many of the Valhalla baseball team who were at the game. Also, the team did field maintenance work on Valhalla High School after the day and the kids once again honored Christ by serving through sun down.

On Sunday they worshipped as a team together at Christ URC church in Santee and distributed 1000 flyers in the neighboring Santee community for Christ URC'S free outreach conference coming up.

Softball:

Thursday: Players partnered with Birthday Blessings with the Rock Church. And went to St Vincent's shelter Downtown San Diego and celebrated with 24 kids and had a birthday party for all of them. They brought 50 cupcakes, 24 goodie bags stuffed full of presents, toys, and crafts. The girls loved on these kids while playing with them, face painting, balloon animals, basketball.

Friday: They helped Rock Academy with a school wide all day event. Jog-a-thon, the classes raced at different times during the day, and helped set up the track, tally laps for all the students, passed out water and goodie bags and encouraged the kids.

Saturday: Fed the homeless at Episcopal Diocese of San Diego (ocean Beach) The team organized all the donated food, helped prepared the breakfast and helped serve the breakfast, greeted and fellowshipped with all the visitors. Then helped pass out food to all who came.

Monday: Partnered with Grid Iron Ministry in La Mesa, where the players conducted a Bible study and prayer time, and then conducted workouts for 7th grade-High school athletes who wanted to grow in their faith and grow in their conditioning. Grid Iron is a training facility ministry that offers strength and conditioning programs 3x a week with built in 45 min Bible study to start every workout.

Men's and Women's Basketball:

Both teams partnered with the Kaleo Church in El Cajon on Saturday Oct 18th for a basketball clinic at the Cajon Valley Middle School. The players helped with skill drill stations, played games with the players and help with warm up as well. 

On Monday and Tuesday both teams ran basketball clinics at the East county Boys & Girls clubs. Then they split up both teams and coaches at the Santee, El Cajon & Lakeside club and worked with kids that ranged from 5 to 12 years old. The teams put them through basketball skill drills, played games with them and just spent time talking with the kids as well. The kids loved having college athletes and coaches working with them. 

"As it says Galatians 5, 'we are called to be free, not to indulge in sinful nature, but to serve one another in love."' Ferguson said. "It is not a burdensome thing to serve. Because of the grace given to us through Christ we desire to serve in humility and out of gratitude for what He has done for us."

Softball (3.27), Volleyball (3.43), Women's Basketball (3.50), Women's Cross Country (3.43), and Women's Soccer (3.62) all met the requirements to earn the award.

"We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes for their achievements in the classroom," SDC Athletic Director Kyle Ferguson said. "This achievement highlights the hardworking students we have at SDC."

For a team to be considered for the NAIA Scholar-Team, it must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The team grade-point average includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.

The NAIA recognized 1,290 individual athletic programs for their academic achievements.

For the 2013-14 year, the entire SDC student-athletic body averaged a 3.24 GPA.

"In all we do, whether on the field, in the community, or in the classroom, we seek to honor Christ," Ferguson said. "This is an example of that in action."

The award is the first for both this season. The baseball team swept the honors last week as Cade Gotta and Gabriel Hemmer earned baseball honors.

Romanski went 7-of-13 from the plate with 5 RBI and three runs. Romanski helped the Hawks earn a split against No. 13 Biola University for their first ever victory against a ranked opponent. She is hitting .353 on the season with a team-high 23 RBI and three homers.

Bunnell earned two saves and picked up a win as the Hawks swept Arizona Christian to increase their GSAC lead to two games over Vanguard. Bunnell pitched 14 innings allowing 12 hits and gave up no runs while striking out 10. He has a team-leading 1.20 ERA in 16 appearances with four saves and 19 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched for a 2-1 record.

Both teams are in action tomorrow as the softball team travels to Cal State San Marcos to take on the No. 6-ranked Cougars while the baseball team welcomes Bethesda University one last time this season at 3 p.m.

Please visit team.sportchalet.com/SDCCathletics to view and purchase over 50 items, many of which are sport specific. 

The Lady Hawks will host Embry Riddle (Ariz.) Feb. 17 with the first pitch starting at 1 p.m. at the Santee Sportsplex. 

Game times will stay the same with the first game starting at 11 a.m. 

The Cougar's campus is : 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road | San Marcos, CA | 92096

To follow the score live, please visit http://live.sdcchawks.com/xlive.htm