Clark, Eden honored with Lions Club Sportsmanship Award

By Matt Oliver

FOREST CITY – Waldorf University’s Cody Clark and Maggie Eden were honored with the Lions Club Sportsmanship Award during the annual Student-Athlete Recognition Ceremony held Wednesday at Hanson Fieldhouse.

Presented by Jon and Robin Bliesmer of the Forest City Lions Club, the annual award recognizes student-athletes who exemplify sportsmanship not only on and off the playing field, but is a student who meets the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Champions of Character core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and leadership.

Clark, a senior on the men’s cross country and track and field teams, is a student-athlete who is very actively involved in the Waldorf community while maintaining a commitment to athletics on a year-round basis. He has worked as a resident advisor for Residence Life, is a valued student worker for the sports information department and has served as the play-by-play caller while covering numerous Warrior athletic events on Waldorf’s own KZOW 91.9 FM. The Lexington, S.C. native was a Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) Scholar-Athlete as a sophomore and junior, earned North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Scholar-Athlete honors as a senior and was named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete the past two years. Clark earned all-conference honorable mention recognition from the MCAC during his junior cross country season and was also honorable mention in the 5,000-meter run during the 2015 MCAC Outdoor Championships. He provided leadership as a team captain for the cross country program this past fall, claimed all-conference recognition during the NSAA Championships, was part of the 4×800 relay team that won a championship during the NSAA indoor meet in February and owns the school record in the javelin. Clark’s coach has described him as the type of student-athlete Waldorf needed to establish its cross country and track programs. He has sparked a culture shift and knows and appreciates what it means to be a Warrior.

Eden, a member of the softball team, is a student-athlete whose positive attitude provides a lift to her coaches and teammates. A Britt native and Forest City High School graduate, Eden has been an extremely hardworking player who goes above and beyond by putting in extra time on the field. Working equally as hard in the classroom, her 4.0 grade point average speaks for itself. Even with a busy schedule that includes working at Forest City Ford, Eden has still managed to be named a two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete and a three-time conference scholar-athlete. She is a selfless player who always puts the team first. Eden has never hesitated to do what is best for the team. She easily transitioned from playing first base last year to moving to third base this season. Last season, Eden posted a .299 batting average with two home runs and 13 RBIs. This year, she has a homer, eight doubles and 14 RBIs. You will always find her supporting her teammates and demonstrating the highest degree of sportsmanship.