Milligan College All-American cross country and track athlete Megan Lease, of Camden, N.C., has been selected as the NAIA Dr. LeRoy Walker Champion of Character award recipient from Region XII.
Lease has personified the NAIA's Champion of Character core values of sportsmanship, responsibility, respect, integrity and service leadership, through her four years as a student-athlete at Milligan.
In her spare time, Lease has visited every week the residents at Appalachian Christian Village, through Service Seekers. As a sophomore, Lease and a group from Milligan traveled to Cookeville, Tenn., to build three houses in one week with Habitat for Humanity. She has also led other service projects with the Milligan track and cross country teams to beautify the campus at Milligan. During the summers of 2004 and 2005, Lease spent some time at the Melting Pot and during Milligan's observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, she has volunteered with the various projects on that day.
"Megan's ability to include the NAIA Core Values in her daily routine is the reason she's been so successful on and off the field of play," said Milligan head cross country and track coach Chris Layne. "She makes a genuine commitment to each and every task she approaches and does not let up until she has reached her goal."
Lease is a five-time NAIA All-American and has qualified for the 2006 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the marathon. She was a member of three straight Appalachian Athletic Conference and NAIA Region XII cross country championship teams (2003-2005).
During the 2005 cross country season, Lease led the Lady Buffs with an All-American performance, as she finished 15th at the NAIA National Championship. Also she won the AAC and Region XII individual championships.
A senior history major, Lease is on the Milligan College Dean's List.
"Megan is a very humble and quiet person who never touts her own accomplishments and work," said Milligan vice president for student development, Mark Fox. "Whether you are a freshman struggling with the transition to college or an African family living in poverty, if you have had contact with Megan, she has impacted your life."
The NAIA Champion of Character award is named after Dr. LeRoy Walker, President emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee who served as president through the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Dr. Walker is a graduate of Benedict College (S.C.) and is a former president of the NAIA. In 1995, Dr. Walker was recognized with the Service Master-NAIA distinguished Graduate of the Year Award.