Nic Maszk is the 2016-17 CCC male Les Schwab Champions of Character award-winner. Maszk, a native of Baker, Ore., is a biology major with a concentration in molecular biology and chemistry minor at EOU, having garnered Academic All-CCC recognition eight times and landed on the dean’s list on six occasions. A member of the EOU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years, he currently serves as the president and is also one of the Mountaineers’ representatives on the CCC SAAC. He was the catalyst of EOU’s Kickin’ It into Gear event, which reached more than 200 youngsters in Union County in an effort to educate them about healthy and active lifestyles. He was also the driving force in donating EOU’s SAAC-fundraised money to a local high school track project and traveled with students and staff to the state capital, lobbying on behalf of the university and, more specifically, athletics. Maszk was twice an All-American in 2016-17, placing 12th at the NAIA Cross Country Championships and fifth in the 3,000 meters at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships.