KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Montana Tech became one of 203 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics member institutions to earn the Champions of Character Five-Star Award, the NAIA announced this week. 

The Orediggers were one of a handful of schools to earn a perfect score of 100, landing the highest distinction of Gold in the Five-Star Award program. 

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 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. 

The Frontier Conference also earned the conference Five-Star Award as 10 of the 12 member institutions landed on the honor roll.

For Montana Tech, it was the second-straight year of a perfect score on the Five-Star rubric. The Orediggers shined in competition as well, claiming three conference championships (women's basketball, football, and men's outdoor track & field) and sending nine teams to NAIA national-championship competition. Montana Tech claimed the Frontier Conference's George R. Bandy Memorial All-Sports Award for overall athletic department success for the fourth-consecutive year.

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