The women’s hockey team, coached by Sarah Murray, and the baseball team, coached by Nick Winecke, have each been awarded $2,500 “Character in Athletics” grants.
In April 2021, Bill Thierfelder, Ph.D., president of Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, gave a virtual presentation on “Sport, Virtue, and Excellence” explaining to the Saint Mary’s community how world-class performance in sport, business, and everyday life depends on developing positive character traits (virtues). On this occasion, Father James P. Burns, president of Saint Mary’s, invited our student-athletes to think of new ways they might develop themselves and their teams in excellence of character. To encourage their efforts, Father Burns announced a mini grant would be awarded to support teams who put together a successful proposal.
While several teams submitted promising program ideas, a proposal review team has selected the baseball and women’s hockey team character development proposals. Both programs will be launched in conjunction with their sports seasons. The impact of these programs will be reviewed toward the end of the year with the possibility that a similar grant opportunity may be available again for new proposals next year.
Please join us in congratulating Coach Winecke, Coach Murray, and their teams on their grant awards!
Brian Sisson
Director of Athletics
Matthew Gerlach, Ph.D.
Vice President for Character, Virtue, and Ethics
