LA MIRADA, Calif. --- In 2014-15 the Golden State Athletic Conference established the Cliff Hamlow award to honor its former conference commissioner and create an opportunity to recognize student-athletes from around the conference who demonstrate outstanding athletic achievement, campus and community leadership, future ambition and embraces the five core character values of the NAIA Champions of Character program (Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership).
 
Each school selects one male and one female student-athlete from its campus that embodies those characteristics and they are honored at a formal banquet sponsored by the conference. Biola's 2015-16 honorees were senior volleyball player Lauren Hoenecke and senior men's soccer player Joey O'Keefe.

"I am pleased that we were able to develop an award like this that honors deserving student-athletes in regards to the character ideals that they hold as part of the NAIA and the GSAC," said current GSAC Commissioner Mike Daniels.
 
O'Keefe and Hoenecke, along with the 16 other conference honorees, were recognized at a banquet at the Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa on Sunday, March 6.
 
About Lauren Hoenecke:
Lauren is always up for a challenge. She's one of a few student-athletes at Biola that would dare to major in human biology while also putting in all the work it takes to become a high-profile collegiate athlete. She's met that challenge and then some over the course of her four years as a member of the Biola Volleyball team by compiling a cumulative GPA over 3.8 and also earning NAIA All-American honors. Hoenecke has been a consistent, hard-working member of Head Coach Aaron Seltzer's squad for the last four seasons and has been an especially integral part of his attack at middle blocker as a junior and senior. Over the past two seasons Hoenecke accumulated 399 kills and hit at a 32 percent clip. Hoenecke is a two-time NAIA and GSAC Scholar-Athlete while pursuing her human biology degree. In 2015 Hoenecke led the Biola Volleyball team in all of its devotions throughout the season and also took charge of the team's outreach efforts in the local community. Seltzer notes that Hoenecke has been one of the most responsible young women he's had the pleasure of coaching over his 14 years at the helm of Biola Volleyball and commends her for her dedication to her academics. During 2014-15 she took a trip to Indonesia to practice medical missions. Upon her graduation Hoenecke plans to enter medical school.
 
About Joey O'Keefe:
Joey is one of those individuals you would qualify as a natural-born leader. He's a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field where he has a competitive fire that is unmatched, but off the pitch he is kind, caring and encouraging to everyone he comes in contact with. O'Keefe just finished his fourth season on the Biola Men's Soccer team and is the reigning Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He led Biola to the GSAC regular season and postseason championships, helped the Eagles secure a berth in the NAIA National Tournament and earned NAIA All-American first team honors. He's a three-time All-GSAC student-athlete and a two-year team captain. His head coach Todd Elkins notes that his humility is what makes him such an effective leader of men on and off the field. Off the field O'Keefe has accumulated a 3.3 GPA in his four years as a business administration major. He's also participated in community ministry as a member of the SoCal Seahorses. In 2015 O'Keefe sacrificed his spring break to participate in Biola's long-running Honduras Water Project service trip. He went with a team of his fellow students to a city in Honduras where they installed water wells and plumbing to bring fresh water to local communities.  Upon his graduation O'Keefe plans to start a graduate program in sports management or athletic administration. He wishes to stay in the world of athletics and be able to work with, and invest in, student-athletes who want to excel in their sports and in life.