Missouri Valley College Athletic Director Mike Machholz handed out department team and individual awards for the 2022-23 athletic year. Three teams and two individuals were recognized for their accomplishments.

Missouri Valley’s men’s soccer team was named as the Men’s Athletic Team of the Year. Led by Head Coach Vladimir Simic, the Viking men’s soccer team finished the 2022 season with a 15-5-1 overall record, and a 10-2 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The team captured a share of the Heart regular season championship, the program’s first since 2017, and earned a berth into the 2022 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship, advancing to the National quarterfinal round. Sam Green was named the Heart Player of the Year and Heart Offensive Player of the Year, leading six selections to the Heart All-Conference Team. Joining Green on the Heart All-Conference First Team were Kazuki Hashimoto and Stevan Milosevic. Jacob Adams, Yoshiki Igarashi and Malik Hasanovikj were all named to the second team. The trio of Green, Hashimoto and Milosevic were all named NAIA All-Americans. The team earned the NAIA Scholar Team award, and helped clean-up campus, volunteering on Campus Earth Day.

The women’s soccer team, led by Head Coach Drew Hawkins, was named as the Women’s Athletic Team of the Year. The women’s soccer team finished with a 15-3-3 overall record, and a 10-1-1 record in the Heart, finishing as the conference runner-up. The team earned a third-straight berth into the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship, and advanced to the National second round. Ashley Arribas was named the Heart Newcomer of the Year, leading six overall selections to the Heart All-Conference Team. Joining Arribas on the Heart First Team were Morgan Dierks and Rina Kinami. Daijah White, Miluska Guevara were named to the second team, and Nicoline Hansen was a third team selection. Dierks was an NAIA All-American for the third time, and the team finished ranked No. 10 in the coaches’ poll, the highest ranking for the program in 30 years. The team earned the NAIA Scholar Team Award and put 10 student-athletes on the NAIA Scholar Athlete List.

Selected as the Co-Ed Athletic Team of the Year was the eSports team, led by Head Coach Raven White and Director of eSports Drew Hawkins. The eSports team pulled off the rare accomplishment of winning two National championships in one athletic year. The first National title came in Call of Duty: Vanguard, as the team won the NACE Starleague Open Plus Division II championship in December over Chadron State (Neb.). The Vikings swept the best-of-five series. In April, the program followed by winning the CS:GO National title in the NACE Starleague Open Plus Division, sweeping Purdue (Ind.) in a best-of-five competition. The program also partnered with the Salt Fork YMCA youth eSports group to help promote the sport to youth groups in the area. The team also hosted the YMCA eSports community during live contests.

Richelle Perkins was recognized as the Athletic Trainer of the Year. Perkins oversaw the athletic training duties for the women’s soccer, men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, cross country, track and field and shooting sports teams for the 2022-23 athletic year. On Friday, February 4, Perkins was present at a men’s basketball practice when a medical emergency unfolded. Her expertise in how to handle the emergency and quick action helped in saving the life of a men’s basketball student-athlete.

Also recognized was the inaugural Tom Fifer Athletic Person of the Year Award winner, Tamika Drake. This award goes to one person in the Athletic Department that displays excellence in athletics. Drake is an Assistant Athletic Director, and is the Director of Game Day Operations, Director of Diversity & Inclusion-Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, and Title IX Deputy Coordinator. Drake oversaw the logistics of more than 200 home athletic events for Missouri Valley, bringing in a new element of fun and excitement to game days across various sports. She also oversaw administrative aspects of the athletic department, including the NAIA Return on Athletics initiative.