Intercollegiate athletes at Freed-Hardeman University have added a new claim on their already fully booked schedules this semester. They are now trying “to better connect student-athletes to faith, Christ, each other and the student body,” through a new organization they call Competitors for Christ (C4C), according to baseball player Alex Huey, from Columbia, Tennessee.
“Wow! That is a great idea!” was Catherine Crabb’s reaction when she heard about the organization and its mission. A member of the softball team and a part of the leadership team, she is from Meridianville, Alabama. “I believe that this organization is a great form of ministry, and it is also a great way to create events that athletes want to be a part of,” she continued.
Under the leadership of Diego Rojas, assistant soccer coach and spiritual growth coordinator for intercollegiate athletics, C4C organized at the end of the Spring 2022 semester and is busy planning events for this year. Among their “awesome ideas and plans for the future,” Huey said, are service projects and an overseas mission trip. Already they have selected a name for the group, designed a logo, initiated social media accounts, published a newsletter, conducted one of the university’s chapel programs and hosted a dodgeball tournament to raise funds.
The tournament was “a huge event,” according to Crabb. So many athletes of all sports created teams and came out and had a great time. Other students also created teams or came to support the teams. ”The gym was loud and everyone was having a good time,” Crabb said.
Bible studies are an important part of Competitors for Christ. They hope to begin with a couple of all-athlete Bible studies, then break into smaller groups, perhaps divided into a men’s group and a women’s group. Next will come an activity for all FHU students and a brief Bible lesson. “We hope this activity will begin building a bridge between student-athletes and the campus community,” Ryan Stark, a member of the baseball team from Corpus Christi, Texas, said.
At the beginning of the Fall 2022 semester, Rojas encouraged all returning student-athletes to contact new athletes and let them know they and their families were being prayed for.
Instead of officers, the group has a leadership team composed of representatives from FHU’s intercollegiate teams. In addition to Huey, Crabb and Stark, the team consists of the following athletes and the teams they represent: Christian Stackpole, basketball, Bowling Green, Kentucky; Ann Elise Jackson, volleyball, Pegram, Tennessee; Brylee Bone, basketball, Medina, Tennessee; Kameryn Harris, volleyball, Thompsonville, Illinois; Eli Combs, cross country and track and field, Bowling Green, Kentucky; Sara Browning, golf, Lewisburg, Tennessee; Alex Rush, basketball, Cookeville, Tennessee; Charley Halford, softball, Covington, Tennessee; Eli Acree, tennis, Mayfield, Kentucky; Zoe Stom, soccer, Murray, Kentucky; Wil Spillers, golf, Cookeville, Tennessee; Marliemekenna Thompson, tennis, Huntsville, Alabama; Libby Rominger, golf, Gallatin, Tennessee; Eliza Poe, cross country, from Plant City, Florida; Jalen Johnson, soccer, Edmond, Oklahoma; Hannah Beth Byers, cheerleading; Tyson Campbell, men’s soccer, Baxter, Tennessee; Zena Dorris, track and field, Brentwood, Tennessee; Julieth Rivera, basketball, Colombia; Emily Singh, sports manager; Trinidad and Tobago; and Kenna Smith, tennis, Christiansburg, Virginia.
“Our mission,” Stark said, “is to show Christ and bring athletes to Him and to make a stronger connection between athletes and others in the Freed-Hardeman family.”
FHU Athletic Director Jonathan Estes said, "Our mission within the intercollegiate athletics program is to develop the abilities that God has blessed us with while striving for excellence on the playing field, Competitors for Christ embodies those aspirations completely. We have a collection of some of the highest quality student-athletes you will ever come across. They have a desire to serve and grow and connect within their teams and across campus."
The mission of Freed-Hardeman University is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. With locations in Henderson and Memphis, FHU offers associates, bachelor's, master's, specialist and doctoral degrees.
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