UVI Receives Second Consecutive Champions of Character Five-Star Award from the NAIA

ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, August 7, 2025 – The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) earned its second consecutive National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character® Five-Star Institution Award for the 2024-2025 academic year. After receiving a bronze status in the 2023-2024 school year, UVI made significant improvements, rising to silver status.

"I am extremely excited about earning silver status for this year's Champions of Character® Five-Star Institution Award because it was our goal entering the year," said Director of Athletics, Dr. Karen Carty. "In just two academic years, UVI went from not being recognized at all to steadily climbing to silver status. It shows how our student-athletes, coaches, and staff have worked to embody the five core values of the NAIA. The aim for the 2025-2026 year is to earn gold status, and with the recent progress we have made, I have no doubt we can do it!"

Institutions are measured on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earn points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition, and character promotion. Institutions earn 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.

Each year, NAIA schools use the Champions of Character core report to measure the pursuit of character-driven athletics, earning points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition, and character promotion. Schools scoring a minimum of 60 out of 100 points earn the Champions of Character Five-Star Institution Award.

UVI was one of 210 institutions nationwide to earn this award and one of thirteen members of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) to receive recognition. In addition, UVI was a contributing factor in the HBCUAC receiving the 2024-2025 Five-Star Conference Award.

If the upward trend continues, the UVI Athletics Department is projected to achieve its ultimate goal of gold status, the Champion of Character's highest possible ranking, by next year.