WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Maranatha Athletics has a memorable history, and the decade of 2010-19 brought milestones for Maranatha Athletics in many ways, particularly on the NCCAA level. Highlights include:

• 8 NCCAA DII National Championships
• 8 NCCAA DII National Runner-Up Finishes
• 26 NCCAA DII Regional Championships
• 49 NCCAA DII National Tournament appearances
• 10 NCCAA DII National Player of the Year awards
• 7 NCCAA DII National Coach of the Year awards
• 8 NCCAA Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Awards (sport-specific)
• 4 NCCAA Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Awards (national)

These are just some of the top highlights that we celebrate, and they represent the hard work of hundreds of athletes that have donned the Blue and Gold in intercollegiate competition.

ALL-DECADE MVPs

In light of this, we at mbusabercats.com will release a list of one all-decade MVP from each sport. The idea is to celebrate the work of some exceptional student-athletes. Below are the details of the promotion:

The Process

There wasn't a perfect way to do this - each team and player faces unique challenges to that season, and it's unfair to make a subjective call based solely on opinion. So, the MVPs were selected as objectively as possible based on the following criteria:

• Player of the Year awards - national and regional
• All-American, All-Region, and All-Conference listings
• Statistical awards
• Program/career stats and records
• Team championships and titles
• Seasons played (must be more than one during that timeframe)
• Leadership

The criteria and the final selections were confirmed in house by members of the Athletic Department, and the seven categories above acted as sort of a formula for the top pick.

While we didn't select a Wrestling MVP since the program was retired before 2015 (i.e., half of the decade), Men's Volleyball (an active program) and Football (played through 2016) were both included.

The Rationale

Why did we do this? Because it's fun. And it's enjoyable to remember outstanding careers and recognize the hard work, the sacrifice, and the skill of these student-athletes. They deserve the recognition.

Schedule/Location of Posts

The MVPs will be announced individually on Facebook and Instagram, and summary posts will be made on Twitter and at mbusabercats.com. Posts will go up on Sundays and Thursdays beginning Sunday, May 24:

(Edit: just to be sensitive to the narrative of social media surrounding the events of the death of George Floyd, we are postponing our posts for a couple of days. The adjusted schedule is below)

• Sunday, May 24: Baseball
• Thursday, May 28: Women's Basketball
• Monday, June 1: Men's Basketball
• Sunday, June 7: Women's Cross Country
• Thursday, June 11: Men's Cross Country
• Tuesday, June 16: Football
• Thursday, June 18: Men's Soccer
• Monday, June 22: Women's Soccer
• Thursday, June 25: Softball
• Monday, June 29: Men's Volleyball
• Thursday, July 2: Women's Volleyball

We hope you'll enjoy remembering some stellar careers. We'll see you on social media, and go Sabercats!