Cross country and track and field alum Brian Hager ’06 did not quit running when he graduated from Messiah. As he transitioned from being a student to a coach at Messiah, Hager grew to miss the team atmosphere and the friendships he enjoyed as an athlete. In an attempt to reestablish community in his life, Hager helped launch s.w.i.f.t. racing, a running club for alums in the Messiah area.

In the summer of 2008, Brian Hager, his brother Patrick Hager ’08, along with former teammates Eric Bofinger ’07 and Matthew Hahn ’07 brainstormed ways to cultivate community as post-graduate competitive runners. Deciding to start a running club, the core group ran their first race together in October 2008 at the Gettysburg Cross Country Invitational. After many discussions, Brian Hager landed on the name of the club, leading to a conversation about colors and styles of uniforms. (more…)

Dr. Layton Shoemaker, former director of athletics and men’s soccer coach, passed away Jan. 1. Considered the father of modern-day soccer at Messiah College, Shoemaker’s teams set the foundation for the present-day powerhouse men’s and women’s soccer programs.

Read more about Shoemaker’s legacy.

For followers of Messiah College soccer, success is as mysterious as it is impressive. “It is a unique, yet fulfilling moment to look down at your chest and see the word ‘Messiah,’ knowing that there is a greater meaning serving as your motivation,” explains senior defender Jordan Sands ’12. This drive — hidden behind 12 combined national championships and 24 straight NCAA Tournament appearances — communicates the difference between Messiah College and much of the rest of the Division III soccer world. On this team, success begins with motivation.

For the men and women who compete each fall, the game of soccer follows this principal value: God represents the purpose and the pursuit; winning only serves as a tool to fulfill this mission. “Playing for God gives us the bond of a common purpose rather than simply a common sport,” responds senior Erin Hench ’12, who received NSCAA National Player of the Year honors in 2009. “It’s more than just a soccer team. We strive to worship God through soccer by returning the gifts he’s given to us.”

But for loyal supporters of this celebrated program, a common purpose is not enough to explain the Falcons’ profound success. To truly solve the mystery — and discover what makes these two teams excel — each coach moves beyond soccer. “Winning doesn’t define us,” states women’s head coach Scott Frey ’84, with a noticeable hint of passion in his voice. Instead, Frey identifies his team’s leadership culture as a principal drive toward excellence. “It blows the underclassmen away,” he continues. “They step into an environment where they are immediately loved, wanted and accepted.”

For head coach Brad McCarty ’93, a 12-year veteran of the men’s program, leadership represents an uncompromising quality. “It all starts with the recruits,” he says. “Our players have maturity and a desire to be disciplined.” Upon arriving, these underclassmen experience an unorthodox approach to collegiate athletics. They are not treated as strangers; they are not expected to perform lowly tasks for approval, and they do not ride the bench until their teammates have exhausted their eligibility. “Here I am as a freshman … and it’s the senior All-American who is the first to the water bottles, filling them up and handing them out to the underclassmen,” describes senior forward Danny Thompson ’12, who scored six game-winning goals during his storied Messiah career. For Thompson and his fellow recruits, playing time was earned out of the gate, allowing the future national champions to mature during their first season in Grantham.

Time on the field without integration, though, would impress few observers. These Falcons play for more than individual glory. “We want to make it to the national championship every season, not because we want another trophy, but [because] we want to maximize the length of time we get to spend playing and training together,” says Thompson. Recognition and accolades will continue to pour in, though this group prefers to spread the love around. Sands — a three-time national champion — believes his teammates mean more than any of his three rings. “I enjoy that moment of being able to see the joy on each of my teammates’ faces, knowing that in our hearts, we have been fighting for one another the entire time,” he says.

Here lies the secret of Messiah College soccer. For this program, success does not rely on five-star recruits or innovative training regimes. Instead, these men and women impress with character, an often forgotten trait in the world of collegiate athletics. “You can take away soccer, the field, the fans, the goals, the uniforms,” begins senior midfielder Sam Woodworth ’12. “You can take that all away, and I still have what truly matters: my teammates.”

By Nick Hemming `13. This article was originally printed in the March 5, 2012 issue of Mennonite Weekly Review.

As Tony Dungy took the stage at Messiah College on April 24, he admitted to his initial curiosity upon receiving an invitation to speak from Messiah. “I read the letter and thought, why did we get invited to a school without a football team?” he joked, and then joined the audience in their laughter.    

However, despite his many years as a player and coach in the NFL, Dungy’s message wasn’t exclusive to a locker room full of football players. He spoke to all young student athletes, and his advice actually discouraged a mindset confined to the locker room. (more…)

The Messiah College soccer teams are passionate about finding ways to use their talent to impact the lives around them, reaching beyond the fan section at Shoemaker Field. What started with tutoring at local churches elevated into summer camps with local refugees and eventually led to a new vision for sports ministry at Messiah College.

The call to engage in local outreach began when Aaron Faro, the assistant coach for the men’s soccer team, joined the Messiah community in 2009. Before accepting a coaching position at Messiah, Faro played for the Charlotte Eagles, a professional soccer team that engages in sport ministry. His experiences were testimony to the power of using sport as a form of ministry, and he passed a shared enthusiasm onto his players at Messiah. (more…)

For 2010 graduate Jared Clugston, being an athlete has always come naturally. 

In high school he tested the waters of many sports including soccer, football, lacrosse and track. Heading into his college years though, Clugston decided to pursue soccer full-time. This endeavor led Clugston to earn a spot on the championship men’s team at Messiah and go on to capture three national titles as a goalkeeper. 

“Playing soccer at Messiah helped me develop a great mental competitiveness and taught me to always try my best and work hard,” says Clugston. 

Those core values are now helping Clugston take his athletic career even further. 

This fall, he was selected to be one of eight members of United States World Cup Bobsledding Team and is now competing to earn a spot in the 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  (more…)

Brandon Newbould, 2004 Messiah College alum, recently completed the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run. The race takes off in Germany and winds its way through the Alps to Italy, totaling 189.5 miles in just eight days. This 189.5-mile ultra marathon is a two-man team race; Newbould partnered with Brenton Knight.

How he got there
Newbould developed his passion for running in seventh grade in his Alaska hometown, when he joined his mother on a short fitness run as a trial to see if he might enjoy competing in cross country. He enjoyed the run so much that he asked to keep going, and while his mom went home to make dinner, he got lost on the trails and finally made it home well into the night. (more…)

The picture was taken two years ago. Bryn says if he retook the picture now, McNabb and Curtis would be replaced by Vick and Jackson. Oh, and his collection of jerseys now numbers 32.

Junior Bryn Swartz’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles might have lost their chance at a Super Bowl ring this year, but his blog about the team–Eagles Central–racked up its own recognition when BallHyped.com’s readers voted it “Reader’s Choice Award for Best Blogger of 2010.”

Swartz, who is a full-time student with a job and plenty of other responsibilities, finds time to post upwards of 100 blog posts a month about his beloved Eagles.

(more…)

Senior Kristen Bates won both the 55-meter hurdles and the pentathlon at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships on March 13, collecting her eighth and ninth All-American honors — and thus becoming the most decorated athlete in Messiah history.
Bates ran a :08.00 in Saturday’s 55-meter hurdles finals to beat the field by .09 of a second, then wrapped up the last event of the pentathlon immediately thereafter, scoring 3,555 points — the third-highest mark in NCAA Division III Championships history.
Bates’ honors are the icing on the cake for an indoor track and field program that enjoyed a very successful season. The women clinched the conference title (for the third straight year), and the men finished fourth. Bates was named Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, and Coach Dale Fogelsanger was named Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year.

NCAA Event Results

Track and Field at Messiah College