This story appears in the June 2024 GēDUNK
It is hard to say if the past year was the greatest in Grove City College sports history, but there’s no question it was a great one. From the starting whistle, the Wolverines were on a roll and by Christmas, the College’s student-athletes and coaches had racked up an impressive run of achievements that were matched and sustained until the last week of the spring semester.
The stats speak for themselves:
- TEN PRESIDENTS’ ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS – Wolverine teams claimed titles in women’s soccer, women’s cross country, women’s tennis, football, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s indoor track and field, men’s track and field, and men’s and women’s lacrosse.
- WINNING PAC ALL-SPORTS TROPHIES – For the first time in 18 years, a single school claimed the men’s and women’s awards for the 2023-24 year, which are based on teams’ respective finish in each sport sponsored by the conference.
- EIGHT PAC COACH OF THE YEAR AWARDS – Men’s Lacrosse - Alec Jernstedt; Men’s Outdoor and Indoor Track & Field - Jessica Cooper; Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving - Dave Fritz ’94; Football - Andrew DiDonato ’10; Women’s Tennis - Nate Horner; and Women’s Cross Country - Laura Rybka.
- 209 MAKE PAC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL – The College set a record for most student-athletes on the roll ever by any conference school.
- NINE ALL-AMERICANS – Football standouts Vinnie LePre ’24 and Ben Bladel ’25; Soccer sensation Emma Herrmann ’25; standout left-handed pitcher Nick Guidas ’24 and lacrosse stars Matt Blythe ’25, Zachary Hougan ’25, Danny Stone ’24, Sam Stevenson ’26, and Trey Zabroski ’25.
- RECORD SEASON – The Wolverine football team went 10-0 in the regular season and advanced for the first time in program history to the NCAA Division III playoffs, where they bested undefeated Susquehanna, 21-20, before falling to eventual national champion SUNY Cortland, 25-24.
The football team’s championship run captured the imagination and interest of a national audience, thanks in part to its inspiring back story. Just seven years ago, the team was mired in a three-year victory drought and discounted by most DIII competitors. This fall, Coach DiDonato’s “brick by brick” philosophy and the commitment of his players to “glorify God, while earning a degree, building lasting relationships, and competing for PAC and national championships” was validated and, thanks to a viral video, spread widely.
Football commands much, some would say too much, attention in the world of collegiate sports, but inspiration was everywhere this year on the College’s courts and fields. From the surprising success of women’s cross country under Coach Rybka to the nose-to-the-grindstone effort of the women’s lacrosse team, which captured its first conference title in just its third season of varsity competition, to superlative softball, baseball, basketball, and other programs that racked up records aplenty but came up just short of total victory.
“The 2023-24 athletic year was a direct reflection of our ‘Wolverines Together’ vision,” said Athletic Director Todd Gibson ’02, who highlighted the All-Sports awards as particularly indicative of that spirit. “Certainly, the championship wins, All-Americans, and Coach of the Year Awards garnered well-deserved attention. However, the All-Sports Trophy is reflective of every piece of our athletic program. This includes every athlete, coach, administrator, faculty and staff member, student, alumni, and fan who touches our program.”
“Wolverines Together” became a rallying cry for GCC athletics a half decade ago and serves as a distillation of the College’s intentional approach to collegiate sports. Wolverines Together calls for building strong team cultures rooted in Christian faith and fellowship and connected to the holistic educational mission of the College. The goal is to help student-athletes become talented, faithful, self-sacrificing citizens devoted to their families and communities when their playing days are over. GCC student-athletes understand that how well they played the game and what they learned from it matters far more than the final score.
That doesn’t mean the score isn’t important. While the College values the community and stewardship that Wolverines Together advances, it also strives for excellence. In this context, that means playing competitively, being as good or better, than the opposing team.
Excellence requires planning and investment. Guided by two strategic plans, the College directed resources to bring on more athletic staff to achieve the goal. The longtime practice of coaches doing double- and triple-duty ended, with each sport having its own, dedicated coach. More full time trainers and strength and conditioning coaches joined the program to ensure health and fitness. And a serious effort was made to build an athletic brand, including a deal with apparel maker Under Armour. Wolverines Together, originally a hashtag invented by Gibson and Fritz, became part of that effort.
Grove City College athletics have risen to a new level of athletic success and impact on campus and across the nation, according to President Paul J. McNulty ’80, a die-hard fan who tries to get to as many games as he can. “We’ve always played, and we’ve always had success, but it is different now,” he said. Noting that the football team was ranked nationally – number 10 in 2023 – for the first time in College history, McNulty said that attracts the attention of sports and social media and, most importantly, prospective students.
“We’re attracting a wider scope of athletes and transfers from across the nation,” McNulty said. The attention adds fuel to already successful recruiting efforts that have ramped up in the last decade. This fall there will be another record number of student-athletes on campus, drawn not by athletic scholarships (forbidden by DIII rules) but by a program that stands for something – and wins. “That matters,” McNulty said.
Lydia Bennett ’25, winner of this year’s Sportswoman of the Year award, said her experience as a student-athlete at Grove City far exceeded her expectations. “I’ve always been met with unwavering support, encouragement, camaraderie, and excellent coaching. The College’s athletic philosophy – rooted in respect, the pursuit of excellence, and representing Christ – has left a profound impact on me as both an athlete and an individual,” said Bennett, a rising senior who anchors the cross country and track and field teams. The teams’ “Soli Deo Gloria” motto, which translates to Glory to God alone, enables Bennett “to perform from a place of joy – and, consequently, freedom – because of the gifts God has given me and understanding that my worth isn’t defined by performance of any kind … but by my identity as a child of God.”
For Bennett, the best part of playing a sport at Grove City College is the bond she formed with teammates, particularly during camp week before each season and in specific victories, like setting a new team record for the 4x800 in May at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference. “There’s something magical about relays that bring out the best in everyone. It’s all about depending on each other, pushing for the team, and the energy from the cheering crowd is just unbeatable … It was the perfect way to cap off an incredible season with my friends, making yet another GCC athletic memory that will stick with me forever,” she said.
For alumna Stefani (Wendelschaefer ’17) Weigle, those memories and experiences undergird her work as an assistant swimming coach at North Carolina State University. A three-year letterwinner and co-captain of the swimming and diving team in her senior year, she now mentors Olympic-caliber athletes as a coach with the United States and Slovakian national teams. “My philosophy is to coach the person first, and the athlete second. That thought process was developed due to my experiences at GCC,” Weigle said.
“In black and white, my career is to make fast swimmers faster. But between the lines, this career is about serving and leading impressionable young adults and teaching them that their self-worth doesn’t depend on their performances – but the actions and values that they hold,” Weigle said. “Having a small role in that personal development is what I love about my career – and how I experienced athletics at GCC is why I am determined to make the experience of my athletes as positive as I can.”
A key part of the College’s athletic culture is student support, which has been building along with the Wolverine victories. For the last three years, The Collegian’s Emma Rossi ’25 has been following the College’s athletic scene closely, first as sports editor and then in her role as the student newspaper’s editor-in-chief. Rossi is an unabashed Wolverine superfan, based as much on the programs’ prowess as its impact on student life. She’s seen the stands get more crowded as more students turn out to support their classmates, even if they are not so sure about what’s going on.
“When our women’s lacrosse team played their inaugural home game, so many people I knew trekked down to Thorn (field) in the freezing snowy cold of Western Pennsylvania spring to support the Wolverines. For a lot of the students, it was their first time ever watching a lacrosse game. Some of them even read an article called ‘Lacrosse for Dummies’ during halftime so they knew when they could cheer,” she said.
Athletic success creates energy around all the programs, Rossi noted. “This year, it seemed like Grove City just couldn’t lose, and the anticipation and excitement that came with all the winning brought this buzz of electricity to campus. It felt like everybody wanted a piece of Wolverine athletics,” she said.
The conclusion of an exceptional year provides some satisfaction for those associated with Wolverine athletics, but also a sense expectation for what comes next. “It is our expectation that we will compete at levels that will produce similar results in the future, and that our teams will stand out for not only winning, but more importantly the character shown as they are winning,” Gibson said.
“Grove City College athletics strives to be an athletic program that clearly honors Christ in all that we do while competing to the best of our abilities as we are called. We hope that Wolverine athletics can serve as a beacon for people across the nation seeking a program that strives to do both. Years like this, and the attention garnered from it, allow us to take steps forward in our mission.”
Five years ago in this magazine, we wrote about Wolverines Together as “a culture under construction, being built – brick by brick – by athletes, coaches and students who share a faith a competitive spirit, and a commitment.” Today, on campus and far beyond, that culture has been built, and the fruits of that labor are visible.