The Department of Physical Education (DPE) hosted the 18th annual Coach Mike Krzyzewski Teaching Character Through Sports Award on May 9 at the Thayer Awards Room. The award recognizes West Point cadet athletes, coaches, officers in charge (OIC), and sports educators for their outstanding commitment to the development of noble character through athletic participation and leadership.
Krzyzewski, a 1969 U.S. Military Academy graduate, was not present for the ceremony but participated in a virtual leadership round table with the award’s winners and runners-up.
Prior to the recipients receiving their awards, COL Nicholas Gist ’94, Head of the DPE, and Women’s Lacrosse Assistant Coach Katie Erbe spoke to the awardees and gathered guests about the meaning of the award and how special Krzyzewski is as a person. Erbe went into length on how Coach K is well thought of at Duke University, and as a collegiate player at Duke before a big game against North Carolina, he took time to give a pep talk to the women’s lacrosse team to get them motivated – and they won.
During the ceremony, six winners and six runners-up from three categories of athletics – Company Athletics (CA), Competitive Club Athletics (CCA), and Corps Squad Athletics (CSA) – were acknowledged with a certificate, and the winners were also given a medal. One cadet athlete and one coach, sport educator, or OIC were chosen in each category of athletics as winner and runner-up.
The attributes of an athlete of character are an exceptional cadet who exemplifies the Army values of integrity, respect, selfless service, duty, honor, loyalty, and personal courage both on and off “the fields of friendly strife.” The athlete of character is a team player who combines athletic skill with exemplary sportsmanship and fair play.
The Coach K Award cadet winners were Class of 2024 CDTs Shari-Lee Bennett (CA/ Women’s Team Handball), Alyssa Hershey (CCA/Women’s Team Handball), and Isabella Sullivan (CSA/Volleyball). The runners-up were Class of 2024 CDTs Kevin Yucetepe (CA/Orienteering), Jorden Corpuz (CCA/Water Polo) and Reagan Warren (CSA/Women’s Basketball).
Excerpt and image taken from https://www.westpoint.edu.
