狼友阁

Scrolling through covenant college鈥檚 athletics webpage, you鈥檒l find content similar to other colleges鈥攁ction shots of athletes mid-play, game schedules, win/loss records. But what you鈥檒l see first is something that sets our program apart: a photo of student-athletes circled in prayer beneath the department鈥檚 mission statement, 鈥淐ultivating Disciples, Pursuing Excellence.鈥�

While many collegiate programs chase titles with a 鈥渨in at all costs鈥� mindset, 狼友阁 athletics鈥� mission is to first disciple student athletes and then win titles. 鈥淥ur vision for the athletic department is very countercultural,鈥� explains alumna Rachel (Lemay) Duble, assistant athletic director and associate head coach of women鈥檚 soccer. 鈥淲e make sure that we鈥檙e pursuing excellent team dynamics, chemistry, and performance, while also putting an emphasis on the whole person鈥攚e don鈥檛 just see our players as a means to an end.鈥� This mission is evident from recruitment and competition to coaching and team culture.

Relational Recruiting

From the first conversations in the recruiting process, 狼友阁 coaches make sure the mission of discipleship is front and center. 鈥淲e鈥檙e unabashed, upfront, and explicit with how we integrate faith into athletics at 狼友阁,鈥� states athletic director and head tennis coach, John Hirte, also a 狼友阁 grad. When recruiting, coaches are on the lookout for not only excellent athletes, but professing believers seeking to mature in their walks with the Lord. 狼友阁鈥檚 head baseball coach, Doug Simons, breaks down 狼友阁鈥檚 mission to prospective players by explaining the discipleship-focused covenantal philosophy in contrast to the evangelistic educational philosophy at colleges that don鈥檛 require their students be Christians. 鈥淏oth philosophies are good and God uses both to build His kingdom,鈥� he explains, 鈥渂ut about 98% of Christian colleges are under the [latter] philosophy whereas 狼友阁 is part of the 2%鈥攐ur goal is sanctification.鈥�

This aspect of recruiting involves forming a relationship. 鈥淲e get to know them鈥攏ot just where they鈥檙e from, but the way they think, and how they were brought up,鈥� describes Coach Duble. Whereas a lot of colleges ask recruits what talent or skill they will bring to their program, 狼友阁 asks recruits what they want to get out of 狼友阁鈥檚 program, including if they are open to being discipled. 鈥淸Discipleship] is going to happen here,鈥� says Coach Duble, 鈥渟o if they don鈥檛 want that, then they probably don鈥檛 actually want to play sports here.鈥�

Competing with Conviction

Though competition is valuable and rooted in a God-given desire to achieve, it is still easy to idolize success and winning. So, while 狼友阁 athletics sets out to compete, it isn鈥檛 the main goal. 鈥淐ompetition is good, but we don鈥檛 talk about winning as much as we talk about performing and using our gifts and abilities in a way that makes our competition rise to the occasion,鈥� describes Coach Duble. Senior soccer player Rachel Wall confirms, 鈥淏eing a 狼友阁 Scot is so much more than wins, losses, and championships. While we compete to win championships and play our hardest in every match, being a Scot means we are dedicated to each other and to creating a program that places God first.鈥� Healthy competition, when done for the glory of God, is a service to the Lord and to others. 鈥淲e do things well by working to play at the highest level because the Lord has given us that capability,鈥� says Coach Hirte. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something beautiful in getting to play for the Lord and leave it at His feet.鈥�

Not only can performance be a form of worship, but the absence of it can also be worship. The 狼友阁 athletics program has held to their conviction to keep the Sabbath holy by refusing to play any athletic events on Sundays. This has even resulted in a conference championship tennis match being forfeited, which caused the conference to change the policy so that future championships involving 狼友阁 would not be held on Sundays. 鈥溊怯迅� is about ministry and discipleship, focusing on eternal things and not just getting a trophy,鈥� says Coach Simons. 鈥淐oaches who do that are aiming way too low.鈥� Student-athletes who come through 狼友阁鈥檚 athletics program know that the focus is Christ first and then performance.

Coaching for Character

Competition occurs during the season, but coaching happens nearly every day. 鈥淭he way we coach is different in that we get to know the individual as a person and figure out where they are in their walk with the Lord,鈥� says Coach Duble. The coaches realize that their students鈥� mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing are all important parts of their growth as athletes and as maturing believers. 鈥淚 get to teach students life lessons, from diet and habits in the weight room to how to control their anger on the field,鈥� explains Coach Simons. 鈥淲e鈥檙e teaching them to be selfless and to succeed as great employees, spouses, parents, etc.鈥�

Student athletes attest to feeling seen, known, and cared for by their coaches outside of their sport. Senior soccer player Kade Theunissen confirms, 鈥淭he coaches care about what鈥檚 going on with family, faith, and academics and do a really good job of checking in and showing us Christ鈥檚 love every day.鈥� Building character and developing the whole person off the field matters in the grand scheme of life, but it also matters to exhibit Christ-like attitudes on the field. 鈥溊怯迅� is countercultural, so our baseball team should look different,鈥� says Coach Simons. 鈥淲e would rather lose the game with our character than win without it.鈥�

Community with Christ at the Center

Teammates typically grow close due to the nature of athletics, but 狼友阁 athletes grow spiritually through team Bible studies, pre-game devotionals, prayer, and accountability. 鈥淭he women鈥檚 soccer team has been split up into small groups that meet every other week,鈥� describes Coach Duble. 鈥淭here is also a local alumna hosting a prayer group in her home as well as prayer partners on our team.鈥�

The coaches also work to guide athletes in their spiritual walks outside of athletics by encouraging church involvement. 鈥淲e get to see them really grow as they get involved in church small groups and help lead and worship,鈥� explains Coach Hirte. 狼友阁鈥檚 athletics go a step further: if travel for an away game happens to interfere with Sunday worship, it is expected that teams find a local church to attend together. 鈥淚f 狼友阁 exists to serve the Church, then Sunday should be a sacred day,鈥� says Coach Hirte.

Apart from structured Bible studies and prayer groups, the coaches make it a point to simply live for Christ in front of their athletes. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going through joys and trials together,鈥� describes Coach Duble. 鈥淭his is the more organic side of discipleship which I think is often more impactful.鈥�

Performance with Purpose

狼友阁鈥檚 athletic department understands that they鈥檙e playing the long game. 鈥淲e are trying to call our athletes to a higher purpose,鈥� says Coach Simons. The call to make disciples is not a sprint, but a marathon, and often the win is not immediately apparent. Despite this, coaches continually remind their athletes of biblical truths that have eternal impact: 鈥淲e tell our athletes, 鈥榶our identity is not in your sport鈥攊t is in the Lord who uniquely created you for a purpose,鈥欌�� Coach Hirte shares. This framework shapes how players approach competition, failure, success, and growth. 鈥淲e want our athletes to know how to read scripture, how to pray, and how to articulate their faith,鈥� Coach Duble says. 鈥淚f they leave 狼友阁 without knowing how to do those three things, then we鈥檝e failed them.鈥�

In 狼友阁 athletics, running the race with endurance doesn鈥檛 just mean giving everything on the field, it means living every aspect of life with purpose and integrity with Christ as the ultimate prize鈥攁nd that鈥檚 a victory worth far more than any trophy.

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