Lauren Spears Named RSC Female Bill Melton Champion of Character
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio- The River States Conference is pleased to announce the selection of Shawnee State University softball player Lauren Spears as the 2023-24 Bill Melton Female Champion of Character recipient. Spears is the first Shawnee State athlete to win the award, and is the third female Melton Award winner in the last four years to come from the sport of softball.
The RSC Bill Melton Champion of Character Award annually recognizes student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics and the embodiment of the NAIA Champions of Character values. The award is named for former RSC (then called KIAC) Commissioner Bill Melton. It promotes and recognizes the core values of the NAIA Champions of Character program: Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Servant Leadership and Sportsmanship.
Spears will have her name forwarded on to the national ballot as a candidate for the NAIA Leroy Walker Award, of which the Bill Melton Award is modeled after.
Nominated by their institution, candidates must be at least a junior with a 3.0+ GPA. Other considerations for the award are campus and community leadership, embracing the five core values and athletic achievement. The award was established in 2015-16, and the honoree is selected after a vote of the RSC Champions of Character Committee.
In submitting Spears for the award, Shawnee State head coach Kristen Bradshaw said that it didn't take long in her position at SSU to see the leadership qualities of Spears.
"She stepped up on and off the field in the toughest times, and was a true role model for her teammates, and those who surrounded her," Bradshaw said. "The majority of the team would go to Lauren first thing, no matter the situation, (and) that in itself, shows her true character."
Nominees for the Melton Award are also asked to submit an essay touching on the NAIA's five core character values. In hers, Spears touched on the beginning of her leadership that carried through her time at Shawnee State.
"The foundation of my leadership originates from a robust faith and a firm belief in uplifting others," Spears wrote. "I consistently reminded my teammates that their value extends far beyond the sport, emphasizing that their worth remains unchanged regardless of the game's outcome."