McPherson, Kan. – The NCCAA recently announced that Central Christian College of Kansas' Eduardo Calderon is this year's recipient of the Kyle Rote, Jr. Award for D1 Men's Soccer.

Calderon operates as a critical part of the Tigers, consistently playing 90 minutes as a wing back. He's the first one to arrive at training and always works for his team and teammates. Though not reflected in the stat sheet, having tallied 2 goals and 2 assists on the season, Calderon's leadership has been key to the Tigers' on-field success. Central Christian finished the regular season 10-4-2 and ranked No. 7 in the NCCAA coaches' poll.

The junior from Fort Worth, Texas has experienced several ups and downs throughout his faith journey. At his lowest point, he accepted Jesus into his heart and became a new creation in Christ. Though new challenges arise, he always strives to be a light to the world, regardless of the circumstances. Calderon has served as a volunteer youth soccer coach, helped clean up the community after a storm, and filled boxes for Operation Christmas Child. He also hosts Bible studies with teammates and serves at a local church's Taco Tuesday event. In the classroom, Calderon holds a 3.77 GPA in psychology.

"Eduardo's leadership ability is contagious, and his teammates naturally flock towards him," said Head Coach Aaron Hoxie. "His desire to serve Jesus is at the forefront of who he is, and the team's reputation around McPherson, Kansas is due to that."

Eduardo is the second recipient of the Kyle Rote, Jr. Award to hail from Central. The previous recipient was Omar Salgado in 2018.