Men's Soccer | 05/21/24 | 12:40 PM

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) has named their male and female Champions of Character for the 203-24 year. Carroll Men's Soccer player William Dominguez has been named the conference's male Champion of Character.

The annual award recognizes one male and one female athlete who represent the five core character values the NAIA embraces - Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Servant Leadership, and Sportsmanship. The award is voted on by the conference athletic directors based on nominations from each member school.

William Dominguez is a junior midfielder from Mattawa, Wash. He was nominated by his teammates, and his impressive story is one each and every Fighting Saint can admire.
 
"It is an honor and privilege to have William as a student at Carroll College." Said Athletic Director Charlie Gross. "He has impacted not only his team, but the Athletic Department, the Carroll Campus, and the Helena Community. William is a champion at the core of everything he does and believes." 

Dominguez (also known as Wonka) is unlike any Carroll Student we have seen before. He is the son of two migrant farmers who don't speak English, drive cars, or have a middle school education. He comes from a place where the mindset is to be grateful to be in America, a safe environment away from cartels, drugs, and violence. Many in his situation just stay home and work the fields in what most would consider extreme poverty.

"I have had the opportunity to recruit and have a relationship with William right out of his senior year of high school, even though he is a junior college transfer." said his Head Coach Austin Shick. "I have seen his humble upbringing with all of his immediate and extended family in a space many at Carroll could consider their living room. It is a miracle he is here today. He had to avoid being sucked into Central Washington gang life, overcome the worst academic district in Washington, and found a path to an education that no one told him existed."

William started his collegiate journey at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Ore. He was recruited by his current head coach, Shick, in 2019, where Shick and his staff found him while watching a tournament game that winter. Standing at five-foot, one-inch tall, he was the smallest player in the whole tournament and received little to no interest due to his size. While William is not tall in stature, he is tall and full in both character and ability.

Dominguez joined Shick later that fall and of course later in the academic year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the school sent players home, and more than half the roster graduated or quit as a result. However, William posted a 4.0 GPA and was working 40 hours a week. He stuck it out and found himself winning the first ever BMCC soccer title that next spring.

William maintained his impressive GPA, went on to be the captain of BMCC, received first team all-conference recognition, surpassed and now leads the most minutes played of any BMCC player, and was recognized as the BMCC Athlete of the Year. 

After graduating BMCC with honors, Shick reached out to Dominguez the day he was planning to sign a letter of intent at another NAIA institution. Just a few days later they reunited and William was officially a Fighting Saint.

Upon arriving at Carroll this past fall, the new chapter proved very difficult for William. The insecurities of being a first-generation student, having to work 30-plus hours a week and seeing his teammates and fellow students excel in classes he had to spend countless hours in to just get a similar result, added up.

Dominguez and Shick took weekly walks in the park to discuss his future. His mindset has always been to make as much money as he could, lead by example for his younger brothers, and help lift his family from poverty.

After nearly leaving several times throughout the academic year, prepared to go to work, he found a degree that matches his interests. He also found a rewarding job helping youth with disabilities, and slowly began to feel at home here in Helena.

Along with another player on the Men's Soccer team, Dominguez founded a food service business. The pair applied for, and were recently awarded a grant to purchase more equipment and expand their budding operation.

William is a fighter, he is an entrepreneur, he is an innovator, a kind soul who cares deeply about his community, and he has proven time and again that he will out-work everyone.

His high-achieving attitude, successfully bouncing from one task to the next, has had a profound impact in the locker room, garnering respect and admiration from his teammates and more.

What those same teammates may not know is that he doesn't have a choice. There is no financial safety net behind him with parents or grandparents to help foot the bills. He is fully self-sufficient, and paying his own way to a degree. 

William may not be your typical Champion of Character candidate. He may not have hundreds of hours of volunteer work, or an impeccable GPA, but he's still found a way to be an active and servant community member, lending a hand where he can, uplifting anyone he comes into contact with, and constantly embodying the qualities of the NAIA Champions of Character.

Dominguez sets a standard of excellence by being the happy, hard-working young man, grateful to be at a school like Carroll. Above all, William is a man of faith. His devotion to God is one that has connected his team, featuring a wide variety of players from many different places and cultures. William is the cornerstone of faith and a prayer group within the Men's Soccer team.

"He is a special young man, one who with time will transition to a great friend of mine." said Shick. "I feel as a coach that I have learned more about life through William than I have in hundreds of others. Uniquely, I am guiding him through life and helping him make big life decisions while I am admiring his perseverance, and taking notes of his desire in all aspects of life. Just trying to understand how young men like him tick."

William Dominguez is most certainly, a true Fighting Saint.