#Bestof2025: Cal Maritime is the definition of perfect in NAIA's latest Champions of Character report
Cal Maritime Athletics' year-end highlight series, the Best of 2025, will highlight key moments and accomplishments that took place throughout the calendar year throughout the institution's holiday break. Our latest addition is a familiar one to all Cal Maritime fans since it's an honor earned in each of the last five years; collectively, that is an accomplishment earned by only three universities in the nation over the same timespan.
December 22: WSOC — Three Keelhaulers earn All-Cal Pac honors
December 24: WBB — Keelhaulers rewrite records book with blowout win at Pacific Union
December 26: SAILING — Sailing enjoys another outstanding semester of competition
December 28: MSOC — Cal Maritime sets new program record with 2025 All-Cal Pac selections
Gold Status Scorecard Reveal Video | Five-Star Institution Top Scores
VALLEJO, Calif. – Cal Maritime earned the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' highest institutional honor when the organization unveiled its 2024-25 Five-Star Champion of Character recipients. In addition to earning the award's highest level of distinction as a Gold Status athletics department, the Keelhaulers posted another perfect Champions of Character score.
By earning every point on the NAIA's Champion of Character scorecard, Cal Maritime Athletics is one of only three departments in the country to record a perfect score in each of the last five academic years. Throughout that same timespan, only two percent of NAIA institutions in the nation submitted a perfect 100 on any of their CofC scorecards.
The Keelhaulers' fifth-consecutive Gold Status honor is the longest streak held by any California Pacific Conference institution and a new school record, topping the previous accomplishment of four straight years from 2015-19.
The NAIA Champions of Character program is an educational outreach initiative that emphasizes the tenets of character and integrity, not only for NAIA college students, but for younger students, coaches and parents in their communities.
Institutions are measured on a demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character and earn points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Schools earn points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages combined with minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.
Champions of Character, a program that addresses character issues more comprehensively than any other national program, is designed to instill an understanding of character values in sport and provides practical tools for student-athletes, coaches and parents to use in modeling exemplary character traits.
Launched by the NAIA in 2000, the Champions of Character program is designed to instill an understanding of character values in sport and provides practical tools for student-athletes, coaches and parents to use in modeling exemplary character traits.
Coaches, parents, administrators and community partners all have a role in developing students of character; the NAIA Champions of Character program brings them training, guidelines and behavior models to create positive environments that promote growth and fun sport activity.
Cal Maritime Athletics — Previous Champions of Character Results
2024-25: Gold Award (Perfect Score)
2023-24: Gold Award (Perfect Score)
2022-23: Gold Award (Perfect Score)
2021-22: Gold Award (Perfect Score)
2020-21: Gold Award (Perfect Score)
2019-20: Silver Award
2018-19: Gold Award
2017-18: Gold Award (Perfect Score)
2016-17: Gold Award
2015-16: Gold Award
2014-15: Silver Award
2013-14: Silver Award
2012-13: Gold Award
2011-12: Bronze Award
2010-11: Bronze Award
2009-10: Bronze Award