Mary Haridin-Baylor Athletics

Peden, a senior from Flower Mound, was one of six candidates for the inaugural award. He graduated magna cum laude in May 2022 with a degree in finance. Peden's 3.9 GPA earned him spots on the Provost Honor Roll, Dean's Honor Roll and academic all-ASC team.

Peden was a four-year member of the UMHB soccer team, helping the Cru to an ASC title in 2018 and the regular season championship in 2021. He played at both forward and defender as the Cru qualified for four ASC postseason tournaments and an NCAA Tournament (2018). He was also a member of the UMHB Men's Soccer Leadership Team during his tenure.
 
Peden's other leadership positions at UMHB include Fellowship of Christian Athletes Leadership Team, Revival Steering Committee, Easter Pageant Disciple, Student Foundation, Big Event Steering Committee and Advancement and Development Office Team member. He was also a small group leader for Temple Bible Church and camp counselor at Kanakuk Summer Camps. In addition, he participated in Purple Gives Gold and First Year Collective and served with Love For Christ Food Pantry, Temple Bible Church, Lighthouse Mentoring Program, Soccer Camps, Champs Day and Feed My Sheep. Peden was also named 2021-22 ASC Male Community Service Athlete of the Year.
                                                                                                                                                                      
The new annual conference awards are presented to a graduating student-athlete who has distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, community and campus service and leadership. Selected by the Senior Woman Administrators, the Man and Woman of the Year are among the highest individual honors presented to a student in the conference.
 
 
Price's Personal Statement:
Luke 1:37 states, "Faith does not make things easy, but it makes them possible." These words from Luke epitomized my time as a scholar, athlete, and leader for the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Through repetitive injuries, tough losses, going through COVID protocols, and even family members passing away, it was the Lord's strength that allowed me to get through the trenches. The Lord gifted me with an amazing community, brotherhood, professors, coaches, friends, and family. It is because of Him that I am not the same man I was coming into college. As a freshman, I cherished my identity as a soccer player. All I cared about was my physical development, how I looked, how I was playing, did my teammates enjoy being around me. This hardheaded perspective changed quickly early in my career. One moment that changed my life to shape me into the man I am today took place before my first career game as a freshman. It was our first regular-season game of the 2018 season. For UMHB soccer, we have a tradition that before every match, we gather and huddle up as a team and pray for the match. That night, our Head Men's Soccer Coach, Brad Bankhead, asks me in front of the entire team to pray. I felt honored and blessed to be able to pray before that game. Every single game in that season and the rest of my career, Coach Bankhead asked me to pray before every game. The reason I tell this story is because the power of prayer gave me a different perspective on how to view the game of soccer. Before, I would just view soccer as I game that I loved to play. When prayer became a part of the equation, I now view soccer as a form of worship and dedication to our Heavenly Father. This has ultimately led to me exploring and leading other campus organizations and serving in my local community. It allowed me to show others that their identity is not in the sport they play, the grades they earned, or the athletic accomplishments they achieve, but that their identity is in Jesus Christ. Prayer changed my whole perspective on how I viewed myself as a student, athlete, and leader. I learned how to love my teammates on and off the field, how I treated my friends and professors, and how I viewed my academic accomplishments in the classroom. These are the reasons why my favorite moment as a member of the UMHB Men's Soccer program was not a specific goal I scored or a particular game in which we won, but rather it was the moment Coach Bankhead asked me to pray before every game because it truly helped me develop spiritually and physically as a scholar, athlete, and leader in all aspects of my college career. I have been blessed and thankful for the opportunity to learn from a great number of coaches, professors, and mentors during my time as a student-athlete.