ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Baptist University Department of Athletics is proud to announce the 2021-22 MBU Scholar-Athlete and MBU Champions of Character Awards recipients. Each year, Spartan coaches and administration present the awards to one male and one female out of roughly 800 student-athletes.
 
This year's MBU Scholar-Athlete Award, which represents the most elite in both sport and academics, is highlighted by Isidora Stojovic of Women's Volleyball and Jordan Crawford of Men's Cross Country/Track & Field.
 
This year's MBU Champions of Character Award recipients, who best exemplify the ideals of MBU and the NAIA's core values of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Servant Leadership, and Sportsmanship, are Kennedy Bennett of Women's Track & Field and Brendon Hardy of Men's Basketball.
 
These four individuals will be honored next month at the Spartan Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday, Oct. 27. Banquet tickets are now available at MBUSpartans.com.
 
MBUSpartans.com takes a closer look at this year's MBU Champions of Character and MBU Scholar-Athlete Award recipients:
 
2021-22 MBU Female Scholar-Athlete Award
Isidora Stojovic / Women's Volleyball / Outside Hitter / Belgrade, Serbia
Using her COVID year in 2021-22 and working towards her Master of Business Administration, Isidora came back for one last hurrah and made it count. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter helped guide the Spartans to back-to-back NAIA Women's Volleyball national titles and ended on a high note as she was named to the prestigious NAIA All-Tournament Team in Sioux City.
 
At the season's conclusion, Stojovic joined MBU's short list of two-time CoSIDA Academic All-Americans with a First Team nod for her elite athletic and academic achievements. During her MBU career, Isidora was a two-time NAIA All-American (3^rd – 2020-21, HM – 2019), three-time All-Midwest Region recipient and three-time All-AMC First Team selection. She finished her tenure in navy & white with 800+ kills, 3.15 kills per set and a .241 hitting percentage.
 
2021-22 MBU Male Scholar-Athlete Award
Jordan Crawford / Men's Cross Country and Track & Field / Douglasville, Ga.
Jordan reached the pinnacle in both his sport and academics in 2021-22 becoming the Spartans' first-ever three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American.
 
Graduating summa cum laude in 2022 with a B.S. in Exercise Science and a 4.03 GPA, Crawford headlined this year's group as the NAIA Men's Cross Country/Track & Field Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year. In the classroom, Crawford has made the MBU Dean's List and received the President's Citation (4.0 semester GPA) in all eight semesters.
 
Known by his peers and coaches as a great teammate, humble, and quiet leader, Crawford reached the top of the podium for the first time in May, capturing the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field national title in the 5000-meter race walk in Gulf Shores, Ala. The national gold medal performance turned Crawford into a six-time NAIA All-American (3x indoor, 3x outdoor). A five-time American Midwest Conference (AMC) race walk champion, Crawford has also parlayed his success into other elite events such as the 20K Race Walk World Team Trials where he placed fourth overall, and Top 10 at the 2022 USATF Race Walking Championships, Millrose Games, and most recently at the NACAC Senior Championships in The Bahamas. 
 
2021-22 MBU Female Champions of Character Award
Kennedy Bennett / Women's Track & Field / Throws / East Prairie, Mo.
Known within the Track & Field program as the "mother of the team", Kennedy is a selfless and Christian leader, always taking care of others first and wanting the very best for her teammates.
 
Driven both academically and athletically, Bennett has earned Academic All-AMC three years and counting and the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete award twice. Boasting a flawless 4.03 GPA while double majoring in Biology and Biochemistry, the East Prairie, Mo. senior has already been accepted into the University of Missouri's School of Medicine.
 
Outside of her coursework, Kennedy has served as a teaching assistant (TA) for several MBU courses including General Chemistry, Intermediate Algebra, Anatomy and Physiology I & II Lab, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry Lab. Additionally, she has logged more than 75 hours shadowing with a Family Medicine doctor.
 
On top of working a part-time job serving at First Watch, Bennett has held leadership positions in the Math and Science Club and represented Women's Track & Field on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). In the community, Kennedy is a sitting board member of ChristmasBelles, an organization in her hometown that collects donations to provide low-income families in the school district with presents for Christmas. In 2021, ChristmasBelles was able to give gifts to 59 preschool children in the Charleston R-1 school district. Kennedy has also volunteered at the Red Cross and Christ's Church in St. Peters, Mo.
 
2021-22 MBU Male Champions of Character Award
Brendon Hardy / Men's Basketball / Guard / Farmington, Mo.
A three-time captain and two-time Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) representative for the Men's Basketball program, Brendon has been a consummate student-athlete representing the Spartans at an elite level on the hardwood, in the classroom, and in the community. As a leader and upperclassman, Hardy has taken younger guys under his wings and demonstrated what it takes to be a part of MBU Basketball's winning culture.
 
One of just 21 Spartan men's basketball players in the 1,000-point club, Hardy reached the milestone amid MBU's historic run in 2021-22. The three-time All-AMC selection helped guide Missouri Baptist to AMC Regular-Season and Tournament titles in 2021-22. As a result, Hardy the Spartans qualified for the NAIA National Tournament for the second time in four seasons.
 
As a Middle Childhood Education major, Hardy carries a cumulative 3.77 GPA including a perfect 4.08 this past spring semester. Hardy has been named Academic All-AMC each of his four seasons and earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors three times.
 
The Farmington, Mo. basketball standout will have quite a full plate this season student teaching at Parkway Northeast Middle School to complete his teaching certification while looking to get the Spartans back to the NAIA National Tournament for the second straight year.
 
In the community, Brendon is a spokesman for Greater Goal Athletics for mental performance and mental training. A member of the 2019-20 AMC Men's Basketball Champions of Character Team, Hardy has worked with youth at the Larry Hughes Basketball Academy and Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis, and has volunteered and packed meals for the Feed My Starving Children nonprofit organization.