By: TMU Sports Information Office
CLEVELAND, Ga., (TMNews) — The Truett McConnell University Athletic Department is proud to announce that one of our student-athletes has been recognized by the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) as the 2015-16 recipient of the Male Champion of Character Award.
It was announced last Monday by the AAC that Bears graduate, Penzi Kakoma was chosen for the prestigious award that is given annually to individuals within the conference that display the five core values marked by the NAIA: respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship. Each college within the AAC nominates one outstanding male and female athlete from its institution, and the presidents from all the colleges then collectively vote to determine the recipients. This marks the third time that a Truett McConnell Bear has been selected as the recipient of the overall conference award (Meagan Taylor, Women’s Soccer, and Caleb Hardy, Baseball, swept the honors in 2014-15).
Penzi Kakoma, a recent graduate of Truett McConnell, received his degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management and boasted a 3.63 GPA. Kakoma played three years on the Men’s Soccer Team while attending Truett and served as a mainstay for the Bears’ throughout the years. In each season as a Bear, he netted three goals and finished his playing days with nine career goals and four assists.
This past season, Kakoma earned Academic All-Conference honors and was named Teammate of the Year by his peers. He serves in a variety community service initiatives and most recently volunteered at a local church for Discipleship Now. In addition, Kakoma gave of his time to teach local youth the game of soccer.
“Penzi is not only a talented athlete, he is also a remarkable man that demonstrates his love for Christ in his service to others,” said Director of Athletics Stacy Hall. “Out of the thousands of student-athletes that make up the Appalachian Athletic Conference, he was chosen as the one who best exemplified the five core values of the NAIA Champions of Character program and we could not be more proud of him.”
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