KANSAS — Malik Ashford of Avila University has been named the 2024-25 KCAC Male Student-Athlete Champion of Character, the conference office announced Wednesday. All KCAC Champions of Character Awards are presented by IMA Financial Group.
Ashford just earned his Master of Business Administration degree, with a final cumulative GPA of 3.10, and was named to the Avila football coaching staff for the 2025 season shortly after graduation. Ashford was a two-time captain for the Avila football team, was named a National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American, and earned the Leadership Award as part of the Avila University Athletic Department's end-of-year awards.
“I would like to thank the KCAC for this prestigious honor and recognition," Ashford said. "I would also like to thank Avila University for being my home and the place where I was able to earn both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. I strive to display character that others can look up to.”
Ashford demonstrated servant leadership in a variety of ways in the 2024-25 academic year, participating in a variety of service projects that included, but were not limited to:
- Mentoring 30 Avila University students weekly
- Serving 50 Thanksgiving Dinners for the Hickman Mills community, and assisted in health screenings for those in the Hickman Mills community.
- Served in the Food Pantry at Testimony Church
- Several service projects at Truman Elementary School, including giving 100 backpacks to students and delivering Angel Tree Christmas gifts to Truman Elementary students.
“I am incredibly proud of Malik and this is a tremendous honor for him and our program," Derrick Alexander, head coach of the Avila football program, stated. "Malik was such a big part of our program last season and will continue to be this upcoming year. No one is more deserving than he is and this is a great recognition of all of his hard work.”
“Malik was an integral part of our football program on the field, but he was an even bigger part of it off the field, throughout our campus and in greater Kansas City community," Shawn Summe, Avila Director of Athletics, remarked. "To have this award speaks volumes to the man that Malik is and what he means to our university. This is an incredibly prestigious honor and we are so proud of the hard work he put into this.”
About IMA Financial Group
IMA Financial Group is the 10th largest independently owned retail insurance broker in the U.S., offering risk management and insurance services. Founded in 1974, IMA has nearly 650 employees in offices throughout the central U.S.
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