INDIANAPOLIS --- Indiana University's regional campuses came together this spring for the first-ever IU Regional Campuses Student-Athlete Awards Ceremony, recognizing excellence across IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast.

The inaugural event featured six major awards honoring student-athletes, teams, and coaches for their achievements in athletics, academics, leadership, and service. Awards presented included Champion of Character, Male Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete of the Year, Triple Threat Team Award, Career Achievement Award, and Coach of the Year.

Among five nominees from across the regional campuses, IU South Bend women's soccer standout Rylee Cotton earned the prestigious Champion of Character Award.

The award recognizes the student-athlete who best embodies the NAIA Champions of Character program and its five core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership through consistent impact on their team, campus, and community.

Cotton's career at IU South Bend exemplified those values in every way.

"I just want to thank IU South Bend, Coach Barnes, my little brother Hank, and most importantly, my mom," said Cotton. "My mom means everything to me and she's the reason I am who I am."

A decorated goalkeeper and team captain for the Titans women's soccer program, Cotton earned CCAC All-Conference honors, was named NAIA Defender of the Week during the final week of the regular season, and holds most of the program's goalkeeping records. During the 2025 season, she recorded 114 saves, four shutouts, and five double-digit save performances.

Yet her influence stretched far beyond the field.

Despite battling injuries throughout her career, Cotton remained one of the program's strongest leaders and most vocal supporters, consistently uplifting teammates and setting the tone for the program with positivity and resilience. Her servant leadership extended into the community as she organized a Type 1 Diabetes awareness walk involving the women's soccer team and helped lead the department's Trunk or Treat community outreach initiative.

A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Cotton consistently demonstrated compassion, humility, and selflessness while balancing the demands of athletics and academics. She maintained a near-perfect GPA while graduating a year early with a degree in Speech Pathology and is preparing to attend graduate school in Bloomington.

"Rylee represents the very best of what a student-athlete can be," said Head Coach Bobby Barnes. "You will not find a finer competitor, teammate, or person more deserving of this honor."

IU South Bend was represented across multiple award categories at the ceremony. Other Titan nominees included Josiah Nelson for Male Athlete of the Year, Tenleigh Phelps for both Female Athlete of the Year and the Career Achievement Award, the IU South Bend Women's Basketball team for the Triple Threat Team Award, and Steve Bruce for Coach of the Year.

The inaugural ceremony highlighted the continued growth and success of athletics across Indiana University's regional campuses while celebrating student-athletes and coaches who make a lasting impact both in competition and within their communities.