INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - NCAA Division II has named Missouri Western State University as one of its 26 finalists for the 2026 Award of Excellence.

This award highlights initiatives that "exemplify the Division II philosophy of community engagement and student-athlete leadership."

The finalists were chosen by a committee of athletic administrators and the DII Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

MoWest was chosen as a finalist, thanks to the annual Griffs Giving Gifts Program, which in 2024, adopted 11 families through a partnership with the St. Joseph AFL-CIO Community Services.

Griffon student-athletes raised over $7,000 and provided gifts, nonperishable food items and household essentials. These goods were delivered personally by MoWest student-athletes, with one of them dressing up as Santa Claus.

Griffs Giving Gifts also included Thanksgiving meals for four families, helping 36 children and 16 adults in all.

The NCAA DII SAAC Committe will select the top three finalists from the pool of 26. Those three finalists, including the winner, will be announced next week at the 2026 NCAA Convention in Washington D.C.

Each of those three finalists receive $750. The winner receives $3,000, the second place finisher gets $1,750 and the third place finalist receives $1,500. All prize money is intended to be used for future SAAC programming or community engagement events.