LANGLEY, B.C. – Jacob Kern (Edmonton) is a winner of the Spartans Complete Champion Award – the most prestigious honour a Spartan athlete can earn over his or her career at TWU.

With a five-year career behind him, Kern leaves TWU as yet another legend to leave an indelible mark on the Spartans men's volleyball program. Kern leaves TWU having played in every single possible conference and national final, winning seven of the nine championship games he played in over his five-year career. 

All told, Kern, who was individually recognized as a Canada West Second Team All-Star in 2018-19, has three U SPORTS gold medals and four Canada West gold medals to go with one U SPORTS silver medal and one Canada West silver medal. 

Kern was a strong academic leader within the program, putting himself in a position to graduate with a well-earned degree in Human Kinetics. He was a faith leader on the men's volleyball team and was an example of spiritual consistency throughout his five years at TWU. He is a leader in his own Kern way, bringing levity to stressful situations while shining when the big moments arrive on the largest of stages. As the team's captain this year, he led the Spartans to what is arguably the best season in program history, helping TWU go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. 

Kern was the definition of a "glue guy" within the team and, in some respects, the engine that drove TWU's men's volleyball success over the last five years.

Complete Champion Award
Spartan Athletics is fully committed to helping student-athletes develop into complete champions in all areas of their lives. We are not only committed to helping student-athletes develop athletically, but also spiritually, academically, personally and as leaders in the local community and beyond. We feel that it is important for us to build into the complete lives of student-athletes to better prepare them for the future.

The Complete Champion Award goes to student-athletes who are outstanding in athletic achievements, who advance to the edge of their abilities both academically and personally, and who also demonstrate leadership and a desire to grow spiritually. 

2019-20 SPARTAN AWARDS
Complete Champion Award
Jenaya Robertson (Women's Soccer)
Mowa Adeleye (Women's Track & Field)
Pearce Eshenko (Men's Volleyball)
Jacob Kern (Men's Volleyball)
Eric Loeppky (Men's Volleyball)
Nick Colyn (Men's Cross Country / Track & Field)

Scholar-Athlete Award
Mowa Adeleye (Women's Track & Field)
Pearce Eshenko (Men's Volleyball)

Rookie of the Year Award
Isabelle Scholtens (Women's Rugby)
Jake Ruby (Men's Soccer)

Bahta Melles Servant-Leadership Award
Jessica Bailey (Women's Volleyball)
Aaron Paetkau (Men's Basketball)

Spartan Athlete of the Year Award
Jenaya Robertson (Women's Soccer)
Eric Loeppky (Men's Volleyball)

Murray Hall Leadership Legacy Award
Kristin Sakaki (Women's Soccer)
Jarret Fontaine (Men's Hockey)

School of Business Spartan Athlete of the Year
Kristin Sakaki (Women's Soccer)
Colton Loewen (Men's Volleyball)

School of Human Kinetics Spartan Athlete of the Year
Jennifer Kits (Women's Cross Country / Track & Field)
Jacob Kern (Men's Volleyball) 

The Athletic Trainers Room Senior Therapists of the Year
Claire Matthew (Men's Hockey) 
Pearl Ernest (Women's Soccer)

The Athletic Trainers Room Junior Therapist of the Year
Cassidy Richards (Women's Rugby)

Andrew Heming Shield (Strength and Conditioning Coach Award)
Breanna Cabuco (Women's Basketball)

Strength and Conditioning Team of the Year
Women's Basketball

Strength and Conditioning Male Athlete of the Year
Dustin Deugau (Men's Hockey)

Strength and Conditioning Female Athlete of the Year
Kiki Richardson (Women's Hockey)

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.

-TW-