Young athletes stand at a crossroads when looking at colleges and evaluating programs. They ask themselves: Where can I compete at my highest level while growing into the person God is calling me to be?
Then a discovery changes everything.
They find Grace Christian University and learn we compete in NCCAA Division 2, the National Christian College Athletic Association. They discover a place where athletic excellence and faith are part of the mission of graduating courageous ambassadors for Christ.
Understanding NCCAA Division 2 Athletics
Grace Christian University is honored to compete in NCCAA Division 2, positioning our Tigers among Christian colleges committed to both competitive athletics and Christ-centered education. But what does this mean for you as a prospective student-athlete?
NCCAA Division 2 provides a competitive environment where student-athletes can:
- Compete against other Christian colleges with similar values and mission
- Maintain focus on academic excellence alongside athletic performance
- Develop leadership skills through discipleship
- Experience serious competition without compromising faith commitments
Our Tigers compete with the same intensity, discipline, and drive you’d find anywhere, but with a deeper purpose guiding every practice, every game, and every season.
The Grace Tigers Athletic Experience
At Grace Christian University, we certainly pursue excellence on every field and court, but our athletic programs are intentionally designed to develop the whole person: spiritually, academically, physically, and emotionally.
What Sets Grace Athletics Apart?
Biblical Foundation in Every Practice
Every one of our athletic teams participates in our Rooted Discipleship Program. Practice time includes intentional conversations about spiritual growth and faith formation. Your coaches are developing courageous ambassadors for Christ.
Student-Athlete Life Built on Community
Grace Christian University understands that your team becomes your family. Our athletic programs foster deep relationships where upperclassmen mentor younger players, and where celebrating victories and navigating defeats happens within a community committed to supporting one another.
Competitive Excellence with Purpose
We set aggressive goals for performance because we believe pursuing excellence honors God. Our student-athletes train hard, compete fiercely, and push themselves to improve year after year. You’ll learn to represent Christ courageously in everything you do.
The Rooted Discipleship Program
Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Grace Tigers athletics is our Rooted Discipleship Program.
Through Rooted, you’ll experience:
- Regular team devotionals and spiritual discussions led by coaches and student leaders
- Intentional mentoring relationships with upperclassmen who invest in your spiritual walk
- Integration of biblical principles into athletic development and competition
- Opportunities to serve others through your platform as a student-athlete
The program recognizes that God has given you athletic ability for a reason that extends far past personal achievement. You’re being equipped to use your gifts, your influence, and your platform to make an eternal impact wherever you go.
Academic Integration
At Grace Christian University, you won’t have to choose between your sport and your education. They work together powerfully to shape who you’re becoming.
Every Grace student, including our athletes, takes classes in Bible, Theology, and Ministry studies, regardless of major. This means pursuing Business, Human Services, Psychology, Criminal Justice, or any other degree program also means receiving deep biblical training that equips you to be a courageous defender of truth in your future career.
You’ll also benefit from:
- Chapel services three times per week where you worship, learn, and apply God’s Word
- Small groups led by student leaders
- Athletic team study halls that support academic success
- Faculty who integrate biblical truth into every subject area
This is education that prepares you for a calling, whatever vocation God leads you toward after graduation.
Life as a Grace Tigers Student-Athlete
Picture this: You wake up for early morning conditioning, surrounded by teammates who challenge you to be better physically and spiritually. Between classes taught by professors who know your name and care about your success, you’re grabbing lunch with your small group, discussing how yesterday’s chapel message applies to the challenges you’re facing. After practice, your coach pulls you aside to encourage you in your walk with Christ and celebrate the growth he’s seeing in your life.
This is the daily reality of a Grace Tigers student-athlete. You’re part of something bigger than yourself. You’re in a redemptive learning community where:
- Personal relationships thrive between students, coaches, faculty, and staff
- Serving others inside and outside the family of God is the normal expectation
- Your identity as an image-bearer of God is celebrated and nurtured
- Objective truth from God’s Word guides every decision and relationship
Why Choose NCCAA Division 2 at Grace?
The question is about finding the right fit for your entire college experience. Here’s why Grace Christian University and NCCAA Division 2 might be exactly what you’re looking for:
Competitive Balance
NCCAA Division 2 allows you to compete at a high level while maintaining the academic and spiritual formation that makes a Grace education transformative. You’re excelling in all areas.
Christian Community
Competing in NCCAA means your opponents share your values. There’s mutual respect, sportsmanship grounded in faith, and opportunities for fellowship even in competition.
Character Development
Every season, every practice, every competition becomes an opportunity to develop the character qualities that will serve you long after your playing days end: discipline, perseverance, humility, teamwork, and courageous leadership.
Eternal Impact
Your athletic career at Grace prepares you to make an eternal impact wherever you go. The lessons learned, relationships built, and spiritual formation experienced during your time as an athlete become the foundation for a lifetime of service to Christ.
A Counter-Cultural Mission Worth Pursuing
In a world where college athletics can become all-consuming, where student-athletes are pressured to compromise values, where winning overshadows character, where personal glory eclipses team success, Grace Christian University offers something radically different.
We offer a counter-cultural mission: graduating courageous ambassadors for Christ who make an eternal impact wherever they go.
This is our institutional mission statement and what we’re praying over every student-athlete who wears the Tigers uniform. This drives our coaches to invest in you far past your athletic performance. This is why our Rooted Discipleship Program exists. This is why we compete in NCCAA Division 2 with both excellence and integrity.
It Happens All the Time
I’ve spoken with countless student-athletes whose lives were redirected by choosing Grace Christian University.
“Some things I have gained since being here are a stronger grip on my faith. I was able to learn how to connect my personal life and my faith life. I’ve also gained so many opportunities around campus such as participating in Student Government, working on campus, and getting a chance to play on other teams such as tennis. One last thing I gained was a community. There are so many people, teachers, staff, and students, that are here for you in every aspect. I made new friendships with people I now call lifetime friends.”
– Kyrsten Nolen, ‘26, Women’s Volleyball, Tennis, and Basketball
“Originally, I chose to come to Grace to play baseball and to get a college education. I am now a junior and have come to realize that it is much more than just baseball and school. It is to pursue God, to learn and worship Him so that we are prepared after college to live long and healthy lives.”
– Jaden Schoeneman, ‘25 Baseball
Your Next Step
If you’re a high school athlete considering where to compete and grow for the next four years, let me ask you this: What if your college choice could be about discovering God’s calling on your life? What if it could prepare you for a lifetime of courageous service to Christ?
Grace Christian University offers exactly that opportunity.
We’re not promising it will be easy. We set aggressive goals and expect dedication. We challenge you athletically, academically, and spiritually. But we’re committed to walking alongside you, investing in your growth, and celebrating the person God is creating you to be.
The decision you make about where to continue your athletic and academic career is significant. We’d love to be part of your story.
Ready to take the next step? Begin your application to Grace Christian University today. Join the Tigers. Become a courageous ambassador for Christ. Make an eternal impact wherever you go.
