Glendale, Ariz.- Arizona Christian University Athletics celebrated their achievements from the 2024-25 athletic year by hosting the 12th annual Westphal Athletic Awards on Monday night at the Haven Church.  Athletes and coaches were recognized for their service, character, and success on the field or court with 16 awards or recognition from Female FIRE-starter to the prestigious Paul Westphal Award.

Track & Field athlete LJ McPhaull, along with women's basketball player Addison Neal opened the awards show by welcoming all the Arizona Christian dignitaries, parents, and fellow students.  Dynamic Strength Training Director of Performance Rick Gannon started the awards portion by announcing the Female and Male FIRE-Starter Awards.  Following several student presenters, ACU's first ever professor of sports performance psychology, Dr. Josiah Igono presented on the work he has done this season with team's and individuals alike through is "Flight" program which meets on Tuesday evenings and gives tools and best practices for mental performance in sport from a biblical perspective.

Former Campus Pastor Tim Reed took the stage to give the Service Award with his name in the title.  Arizona Christian Board Member Don King was on hand to enthusiastically hand out the Inspirational Award bearing his name.  Award winners from previous years- Brent Smith and Josh Gibbs - returned to announce the Mike Lusardi Award winner.  Travis Turner, ACU Campus Pastor, and Randy Chambers, ACU Transformation Coach, honored ten student-athletes as members of the Champions of Faith.  Athletic Director and Dean of Students Dr. Peter Dryer closed the evening by thanking the support staff for their work in creating a transformative student-athlete experience.  He also noted the progress on the school's athletic facilities and the introduction of two new sports to the department – women's wrestling and women's flag football.

Just before Dr. Dryer, Cindy Westphal and Arizona Christian President Len Munsil presented the prestigious Paul Westphal Award to Graciela Roybal of the women's basketball team.  The award is given each year in honor of Paul Westphal and is presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies what it means to be a truly great teammate.

The 2025 Westphal Athletic Award winners are:
Female FIRE-Starter- Sierra Lauko (Softball)
Male FIRE-Starter- Max McDowell (Football)
Best Game- Mikhail Browne (Men's Track & Field)
Breakthrough Performance- Channing Porter (Wrestling)
Comeback Athlete of the Year- Krysta Petersen (Women's Volleyball)
Tim Reed Service Award- Manny Valenzuela (Track & Field)
Don King Inspirational Award- Caleb Frey (Lacrosse)
Mike Lusardi Award- Emily Harris (Athletics Business)
Best Play- Lorenzo Wright (Men's Basketball)
Team of the Year- Baseball
Female Athlete of the Year- Haley Brown & Riley Brown (Beach Volleyball)
Male Athlete of the Year- Trey Tarver (Baseball)
Paul Westphal Award- Graciela Roybal (Women's Basketball)

Champions of Faith Recipients
Callie Drefs (Swim), Taylor Fogleman (Softball), Emily Katzer (Beach Volleyball), Addison Neal (Women's Basketball), Avery Sartain (Women's Golf), Dominic Gonzalez (Men's Basketball), Kaden Martin (Wrestling), Lionel McPhaull Jr. (Track & Field), Noah Natzic (Lacrosse), Eutimio Pena (Football).

Congratulations to all the Westphal winners, recipients, and nominees!

Roll Storm!