Competing with purpose: Greenville University at the NCCAA indoor national meet

Published: March 15, 2026

Author: Lydia Cahill

Photo by Luis Zavala

Amid February snows, athletes from Greenville University’s track and field team competed at the National Christian College Athletic Association’s (NCCAA) indoor national meet hosted by Cedarville University. To compete, athletes must meet a qualifying mark in their event or be part of a relay team.

While every athlete may have been excited to jump, throw, vault, hurdle, sprint, or run to new personal bests, some great memories were also made off the track.

Christian Nationals is not just another track meet, but an opportunity to surround people with God’s love.

The NCCAA was founded in 1968 to introduce people to Christ through sport. In 2021, the NCCAA launched a new campaign titled #KingChasing.

According to the NCCAA website, the #KingChasing program focuses on four values: Love, Integrity, Faith, and Excellence. The purpose is to encourage collegiate athletics to seek more than winning championships. The mission of the #KingChasing program is to keep Christ at the center of the student-athlete experience.

GU Head Coach Brian Patton explained, “I'm not sure if there's such a thing as Christian athletics, but there are athletes who are Christians who do athletics,” he said. “but there are athletes who are Christians who do athletics. Christian Nationals is run by a Christian organization, but there are plenty of athletes who are there who are not Christians, including on our team.

“The meet environment promotes Christian virtue; the music is going to be more edifying than you might find at other meets,” Patton continued. “Indoors, it's hard to do, but during the outdoor championships the last few years, there's been a worship service alongside the meet, and they've done a nice job with that. We are trying to win over teammates and competitors to Jesus while we do this thing called track and field.”

Running for God’s Glory

For many athletes on the team, Christian Nationals was the perfect opportunity to verbalize what they have already been doing – competing for God’s glory.

Luis Zavala, a junior engineering major who competed in the distance medley relay (DMR) and the 4x800m relay, said, “As a Christian athlete, you want to glorify God for all that he has done for you and the abilities you've been given. He gave you a spot for a reason, and you're just there to perform for him.

“When we glorify the Lord through sport, I think that's one of the most beautiful things in the world because it shows our commitment to the journey, we are on with Christ. He gave us a reason to do this sport and the ability to compete,” Zavala added.

Jada Richards, a freshman exercise science major, competed in the long jump, triple jump, 60m dash, and 4x200m relay. Despite the pressure to perform and the tiredness in her legs, she still retains joy in her sport because of Christ.

“I think being a Christian and doing a sport gives me a lot of joy because I can compete to my fullest potential and use a gift that God has given me,” Richards said. “All my hope and joy are in Christ, not in my sport.”

Brittnee Lange, a freshman Spanish major, competed in the shot put and weight throw – the two throwing events available during indoor track. For Lange, Christian Nationals showcased her devotion to her teammates.

“We cheer everybody on,” Lange said. Coach Angel, our throws coach, makes sure we are cheering on every teammate and that we aren’t on our phones. We cheer each other on because, even if you don’t know them, they're still your teammates. You get to know them through track; you might even become best friends with them.

Lange added, “At practice, we are separated into our individual event groups, but we all come together at meets.”

A Change in the Air

Several GU athletes competing at Christian Nationals felt a change at this meet, not only because of the distant location and overnight experience, but in their fellow competitors and the environment of the meet – the #KingChasing ideals were in action.

Zavala reflected on his experience at NCCAA meets, “At the start, I didn’t feel that I was held to a different standard as a Christian athlete because I had no idea about Christianity until I came to GU.

“Now, I've seen the NCCAA culture and how people develop and show their Christianity by praying with teammates and competitors. We’re able to give each other grace, peace, and love at the end of each race; it shows the warmth everyone has, even while competing at a high level,” he added.

Lange noted the power of a fellow shot putter asking all the women competing in the event to pray together. She said, “I feel that at Christian Nationals, the competitors are a lot nicer, more upbeat, and understanding versus a typical meet.”

Gabriella Weishaar, a freshman elementary education major with a minor in digital media, competed in the distance medley relay and 4x400. She enjoyed the extra time she got to spend with teammates.

“Christian Nationals was an awesome experience. Spending the night with the girls and travelling to Ohio was fun. I didn't realize that it was going to be all Christian schools. They were playing the Christian music I grew up on, so it was a little bit nostalgic,” Weishaar said.

She continued, “It was also a good experience with the coaches – they were super supportive. I remember Coach Ben, our jumps coach, was going around giving everybody high fives. I thought that was cool. Everybody went and watched their teammates instead of being at team camp. It was awesome.”

Richards agreed, saying that, “I was blessed to go my freshman year and experience being at that big of a meet. Aside from competing, I feel like the community aspect was one of my favorite parts: getting to spend time with my teammates, room with my friends, and cheer on my team.”

Photo by Luis Zavala

A Long Tradition Continues

The Greenville University track and field team has competed at Christian Nationals for many years. The high level of competition and team bonding that the meet offers are the perfect capstone to the indoor track season.

Coach Patton explained the significance of the meet: “Christian Nationals has always been an important meet to us because for many years we did not have a conference championship, indoor or outdoor.”

Though every athlete wants to do their best, this event creates a much longer-lasting relationship between teammates and coaches that can lead to spiritual growth.

Patton continued, “I got into coaching because I wanted to make a Godly impact on the lives of young people. I like building relationships; if you have a relationship with someone, you can cross any bridge. Living faith out, being willing to cross the bridge and not ‘hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil’ has been my approach.”

The NCCAA offers a community for Christian athletes and coaches, but its mission is greater still – an opportunity to show what faith in action looks like. In this wonderful world God has created, sometimes, showing our faith can be as simple as racing around a track.

Sources:

#KingChasing Program - National Christian College Athletic Association

History - National Christian College Athletic Association