Kansas Wesleyan finished third in the HelperHelper NAIA Challenge which tracks community service by student-athletes, marking the third consecutive year that KWU has finished within the top three in the challenge.
In a change from previous years, the HelperHelper Challenge was held over the entire academic year, rather than just a portion of the spring semester as the last two years.
“Such a strong finish in the NAIA HelperHelper Challenge is a testament to how strongly Kansas Wesleyan values its relationship with Salina,” said Kansas Wesleyan Athletic Director Steve Wilson. “Our community is a primary reason that we are so successful, and to see our student-athletes and coaches respond by giving back this way, it makes me proud to be a Coyote and to be from this community.”
For a second consecutive year, KWU had the top two individual team finishes in the challenge. The KWU softball team finished as the top team in the challenge for a second straight year, while the Tennis teams finished second.
KWU had two other teams finish in the Top 20 with baseball finishing ninth and women’s soccer placing 12th.
Overall, the department had 65 percent participation amongst student-athletes, which yielded 4069 hours of community service.
Softball had a total of 989 volunteer hours in the competition, with an 86 percent participation rate. The team averaged 34 hours per participant.
Tennis logged 426 volunteer hours, with each participant averaging 25 hours of service.
Women’s soccer and baseball both boasted 100 percent participation. Baseball saw participants average 11 hours per participant and women’s soccer averaged 10 hours per participant.
“I am extremely proud of our coaches, student-athletes and staff for caring so deeply for Salina,” Wilson added.
Top 10 NAIA HelperHelper Challenge Institutions
1. Doane (Neb.)
2. Soka (Calif.)
3. Kansas Wesleyan
4. Fisher (Mass.)
5. Ave Maria (Fla.)
6. Eastern Oregon
7. Midway (Ky.)
8. Indiana-East
9. Siena Heights (Mich.)
10. Goshen (Ind.)
Top 20 NAIA HelperHelper Challenge Teams
1. Kansas Wesleyan Softball
2. Kansas Wesleyan Tennis (Men and Women)
3. Ave Maria Men’s Basketball
4. Soka Women’s Cross Country
5. Eastern Oregon Men’s Wrestling
6. Eastern Oregon Volleyball
7. Ave Maria Women’s Tennis
8. Soka Men’s Cross Country
9. Kansas Wesleyan Baseball
10. Doane Women’s Soccer
11. Indiana-East Volleyball
12. Kansas Wesleyan Women’s Soccer
13. Eastern Oregon Women’s Wrestling
14. Doane Women’s Track
15. Soka Men’s Soccer
16. Ave Maria Lacrosse
17. Doane Women’s Cross Country
18. Doane Women’s Tennis
19. Doane Men’s Track
20. Soka Women’s Soccer
