Apr. 12—Greta King, a junior volleyball player at Northwestern College, has been named the female recipient of the Inaugural National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Game Plan 4 LIFE (GP4L) Character Award. A kinesiology major from Willmar, MN, King is highly respected by her peers and exemplifies the four character qualities of the GP4L character award as follows:

Love: Eagles head coach Beth Wilmeth explains that one of the team's five core covenants is love. The team found it easy to express love toward one another off the court but struggled to exhibit it so easily on the competitive court. However, Greta took the lead in being intentional about holding herself and her teammates accountable in this area. “Her growth in this area was contagious,” said Coach Wilmeth, “and we saw a significant change in our team.” Greta has a heart for youth and expresses her love of them in serving as a seventh grade youth group leader as well as in coaching a junior Olympic volleyball team for 16 year old girls.

Integrity: King played an instrumental part in implementing “honor calls” into the Northwestern volleyball program, a decision that has cost the team points at times, and perhaps even a match during the NCAA Division III tournament in November. But her commitment to integrity has impacted other teams to the value of such a character trait. Kimmie Moehring, head coach at Crown College, recalls, “I remember one very distinct situation where our team hit a ball and Greta's arms just grazed the ball. The refs called the ball out, but she actually raised her hand and nodded 'Yes' that she did touch the ball, giving us the point. Her integrity came first.”

Faith: King serves as a leader to her teammates and to young people, sharing her faith to help them to grow in theirs. She takes an active role in leading team devotions, mentoring junior high girls, volunteering with inner city ministries, and organizing and leading service projects. King also serves as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) huddle leader, has been on various missions trips, and strives personally to be a reflection of Christ. Her testimony reflects how God trans-formed her life to one in which she plays for a higher purpose, wanting others to know Christ through her actions.

Excellence: Greta has received recognition at both the NCCAA and NCAAIII levels and helped lead her team to their first-ever birth in the NCAA playoffs. Greg Johnson, NWC Assistant Director of Athletics, states, “You do not have to look very hard to see Greta's commitment to excellence, be it in the classroom, on the volleyball court, in small groups, etc. Whatever the arena, she continues to desire to do better. She desires to do her best to bring glory to God.” Coach Wilmeth added, “Greta is a high-caliber player which her many awards and statistics indicate. However, our team's credibility comes from playing with excellence, and she makes sure that God is glorified.”

The purpose of the Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Award is to recognize NCCAA student-athletes who epitomize the Christian character qualities of:

• Love- demonstrating a caring and consistent love for others (I Corinthians 13)
• Integrity- living out ethical principles in a clear consistent manner (Job 27:5)
• Faith- acknowledging a life of faith and sharing that faith with others (Hebrews 11)
• Excellence- striving to do all things at the highest standard (Philippians 4:8)