The Providence Pilots women’s volleyball team has been named a “Scholar Team” by the National Christian College Athletic Association.
One of 22 institutions recognized for the fall 2017 season, Providence is extremely proud of its women’s volleyball team, which consistently contends for athletic honours and can now be counted among the highest-achieving academic squads in the predominantly U.S.-based NCCAA.
“I know how hard these women work on and off the court,” says head coach Kyle Guenther. “I am so proud of them all for balancing a very busy athletic schedule while maintaining such high grades in their classes. They deserve all the credit for stepping up to the challenge of being student-athletes and being very disciplined with their time.”
Players Caroline Seale and Savannah Friesen also cite time management as a key to academic success.
“Being a student-athlete is never easy. There is a lot of time, effort and commitment required to be successful in both studies and sport,” explains Seale. “I value the support from my coaches, who uphold the policy of school first, athletics second.”
Friesen points out that education is important to each player on the team and that the Pilots encourage one another to be better both in class and on the court.
“I’m thankful that Providence has pushed us to be students first and athletes second,” she says, echoing her teammate. “This has made for success in both areas, and I’ve enjoyed both in my three years here.”
As a team, the Pilots earned a grade point average of 3.45 last semester, taking them across the NCCAA’s Scholar Team threshold of 3.40.
“Congratulations to each student-athlete, team and institution on earning this award,” wrote the NCCAA’s Brandon Gilmore in a statement.
The NCCAA numbers more than 90 Christian colleges and universities and was established in 1968.
Top image, back row from left to right: Paul Warkentin (assistant coach), Kyle Guenther (head coach), Alexandra Grafe, LaDawn Friesen, Savannah Friesen, Sara Barker, Shayna Staerk, Danella Alvaro, Kaitlyn Warkentine, Katelyn Corbin; front row: Jill Jackson, Kyla Fast, Jillana Groening, Caroline Seale, Janelle Ewert, Sam Bridle, Hannah Sabatier.
