WACO, Texas – Dannah Martin-Hartwick of LSU Alexandria (La.) and Diego Zuniga of Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) earned recognition as the 2023-24 Red River Athletic Conference Etier Character Athletes of the Year as announced by the RRAC today.
Now in its eighth year, the award is given annually to one male and one female RRAC student-athlete who best represent the tenets of the NAIA Champions of Character program (respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and servant leadership). To be eligible, student-athletes must be nominated by their respective RRAC member institution. Schools are allowed to nominate one male and one female student-athlete. All nominees were considered finalists, and the winners were selected in voting by the RRAC Champions of Character Committee.
The awards were posthumously named for Betty Etier, an NAIA/RRAC Hall of Famer, RRAC Eligibility Chair for 18 years, and an associate professor and faculty athletics representative at Huston-Tillotson University (Texas). Etier made a lasting impression on everyone involved in the RRAC and helped shape the conference from its beginning.
Martin-Hartwick, a senior women's basketball player from French Settlement, La., earned a 3.73 GPA in Mathematics. She donated her time to tutor other student-athletes, helped underclassmen learn plays and volunteered to work at LSUA's women's basketball camps. Martin-Hartwick also led a Bible study for the Generals' women's basketball team, and she provides food and drinks for the homeless. She encourages others on and off the court while serving as team captain, and she contributed time to the LSUA Student-Athlete Association and her home church. Martin-Hartwick plans to become a teacher and a coach.
"Dannah is a fantastic leader on the court and in the classroom giving of her time to tutor others while also serving as one of our ASA leaders," says LSUA athletic director Tyler Unsicker. "She is also a fantastic human being and a great presence within our athletic department."
Zuniga, a sophomore from McAllen, Texas, is a two-year starter at catcher for the Saints' baseball team. He holds a 3.1 GPA in Kinesiology, and he was selected to be a member of the McNair Scholars Program because of his characteristics as a student-athletes and his excellence in the classroom. The McNair program is federally-funded and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, preparing Zuniga for post-graduate work through his participation in academic and community-related activities. Zuniga was installed at catcher when he arrived at OLLU due to his leadership and the example he sets for teammates. He plans on completing his final two years on the baseball team at OLLU before exploring careers in athletics.
"It has been a pleasure having Diego on the team," says OLLU baseball coach Matt Piker. "He is a great leader. The men look up to him and follow his lead both on the field and in the community and classroom. He has been a great addition to the 'brotherhood' and I look forward to what he will do this upcoming year."
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