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Athletics Update
GROWING AUTHENTICALLY CATHOLIC SPORTS
Over the past two years, the country has seen hundreds of collegiate sports teams discontinued. Ave Maria University stands in stark contrast to this trend as the University has expanded its varsity intercollegiate offerings from 14 to 24, and the Junior Varsity (or reserve) teams from three to eight. During this same time, the number of intercollegiate athletes at the school has expanded from 396 in spring 2020, prior to the pandemic, to a projected 650 in fall 2022.
This growth speaks to the demand for athletic programs that harmonize intercollegiate competition and Catholic identity. The AMU athletic department rallies around sacrificial effort, toughness, and love, tying each to Christ’s example and teachings.
These spiritual points of emphasis don’t compromise competitive excellence. In fact, the majority of the AMU teams have posted their best single-season performances over the course of these past two years. The department as a whole made a dramatic jump to third in the Sun Conference Commissioner’s Cup, which ranks the conference’s athletic department across all of the sports teams that compete as members of the conference.
JUNIOR VARSITY TEAMS FROM THREE TO EIGHT."
This third-place finish was particularly notable because the Gyrenes had routinely finished in ninth or 10th place the previous 10 years.
Remarkably, both the growth in numbers and competitive competency coincide with an improved academic profile and improved retention. The student-athlete cumulative GPA has risen significantly, and in the most recent census, the retention rate of student-athletes trailed the Universitywide retention rate by just one percentage point. This increased proficiency coincides with an extraordinary level of collegiality between the student-athletes and their professors. On anonymous semester-end surveys, the student-athletes are asked whether they are “satisfied” or “dissatisfied” with their professors. The ratio of the studentathletes who are satisfied to those who are dissatisfied routinely exceeds 40-to-1.
Competitive dance, along with men’s and women’s swimming, made their varsity debuts in the 2021–2022 academic year. Next year, men’s and women’s track and field (both indoor and outdoor), along with men’s ultimate frisbee, will make their varsity debuts.
Clearly, there is a demand in the athletic world for an authentically Catholic collegiate experience.
—Joseph Patterson Vice President of Athletics and Head Football Coach joseph.patterson@avemaria.edu
Three Coaches ENTER THE CHURCH
Ave Maria University seeks to frame its athletic programs within the context of the Catholic faith. This faith allows the adversity inherent in athletics to be sanctified as virtues like teamwork, sacrifice, and perseverance and given transcendent qualities.
Some of the greatest strides in athletics are never seen by the spectators. Step by step, those engaged in athletics try to advance. For three AMU coaches, Easter 2022 represented a dramatic step in their spiritual lives, a step that gave a strong witness to their respective teams.
Michael McCormick (head baseball coach), Charles Mickens (assistant football coach), and Ryan Chlebek (assistant men’s basketball coach), all officially entered the Catholic Church in April during the Ave Maria Easter Vigil celebration. Coach McCormick first came to AMU as an assistant coach (pitching) in January of 2020. In 2021, he served as the interim head coach before having the interim title removed going into the 2021–2022 academic year. “If AMU had not accepted me as a Protestant, I would have never been exposed to the truth,” said McCormick. “My family and I are closer to Christ than we have ever been, and we continue to grow in Christ through Mary. Listening to and accepting God’s will, I know my family and I are exactly where we are meant to be.”
MICHAEL MCCORMICK
The baseball team posted a winning record for the 2022 season along with its most wins (27) in nine seasons, but the uptick in wins is merely a byproduct of more elevated goals. “I understand that at the end of the day, what matters most is promoting growth in Christ and helping players grow as men off the field,” said McCormick.
McCormick graduated from college in 2017 and was selected as a pitcher by the Chicago White Sox in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He played for three years in the White Sox farm system, being named a 2018 Pioneer League All-Star as he helped his team win the 2018 Pioneer League Championship. But his playing days gave way to coaching, and AMU offered him his first opportunity to coach in a collegiate team setting.
It ended up being a simple observation that sparked McCormick’s conversion: “I found truth in the fact that the Catholic Church is the only church founded by Christ.” Immediately, he wanted “to receive Christ’s grace through the sacraments.”
McCormick lists Fulton Sheen at the top of his list of Catholic influences, and he mentions his Marian Consecration as foundational. He makes a point to visit the adoration chapel weekly and pray the Rosary daily.
For Coach Mickens as well, it was the sacraments and Mary that led him to the Church.
“I believe that the Eucharist is the Body of Jesus, and I decided that I need to have that,” said Mickens. “Through eucharistic adoration and trusting in our Mother, it was impossible for me to continue a life distant from both.”
Mickens first came to Ave Maria as a sophomore transfer student in the fall of 2018. He was a member of the football team for three years before graduating with a psychology degree in spring of 2021. Only a few months later, he returned to AMU as a student support advisor and football coach.
Mickens points to a few key events during his conversion. First, he heard a priest talk about dealing with depression and anxiety by recognizing that “Jesus gave us Mary as our spiritual mother to lean on and turn to.” Later—July 25, 2021, to be exact—he decided to pray the Rosary for the first time. And then on September 11, 2021, he had a pivotal conversation with Dr. Stefanie Morris, the chair of AMU’s Psychology Department. Shortly after, he attended the Baptism of a former teammate’s child, and that’s when he decided to enter the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program.
“The more I leaned into the faith, the more I felt full,” said Mickens. “The joy and love I have for life and people are ten times better.”
In addition to the Blessed Mother, Mickens lists some contemporary commentators as being formative, such as Bishop Barron, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Matthew Kelly, and Fr. Josh Johnson.
Mickens didn’t always have positive interactions with Catholics, and thus viewed the faith as judgmental and unwelcoming. But AMU helped to change that notion.
CHARLES MICKENS
ATHLETE: ADRIEL BOUSQUET (’23)
He, like McCormick, made the Marian Consecration and prays the Rosary daily. The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Miraculous Medal also factor into his daily life. He now sees the Catholic faith as integral to his job. “My role as a coach allows me to show the athletes that being Catholic is welcoming and that the faith can be impactful in all aspects of life.” It is the fullness of life that Mickens desires. “On this journey, I’ve felt full and complete, but this is only the beginning.”
The third AMU coach to convert this past Easter, Coach Chlebek, joined the AMU men’s basketball coaching staff in 2018. He has been a key member of the staff as the basketball team has rattled off three consecutive 20-win seasons. Over the course of these past several years, he has been “able to see firsthand the power of being devoted to the faith.”
For Chlebek, the witness of others was influential, but it was something more foundational: “I wanted to make a generational difference within my family,” said Chlebek. “I am excited for the next chapter, as it is just beginning.”
It was an AMU retreat in the fall of 2020 that tipped the scale toward Chlebek’s conversion. The process has informed him as a coach, and he feels he can encourage the players “to be courageous in their faith journey.” He hopes to provide the same support that he has felt. “I am beyond grateful for the support I have received from the AMU athletics community throughout my journey.”
Head men’s basketball coach Jamon Copeland has witnessed Chlebek’s journey. “The beauty of AMU is the eternal impact it has on souls. Divine Providence led Ryan to AMU, and it has been incredible to watch the Holy Spirit work through Ryan in his journey to the Catholic faith. I have seen a direct correlation that—as his faith has deepened—he has become a more transformational coach to our players.”
Chlebek was initially nervous as he considered converting, but that changed. “As time went on and I learned more about the journey, I became excited for the future,” he said. Indeed, the choice isn’t merely about himself but also about his “family in the future.”
The three coaches are competitive to their core, but sometimes the greatest victories don’t show up on the scoreboard. Coach McCormick, Coach Mickens, and Coach Chlebek all entered the Catholic Church on April 16, 2022, amidst an outpouring of support from the Ave Maria community. The three coaches embark on their young coaching careers, informed by a Catholic faith that gives context to all that they are trying to instill in their competitive arenas.
RYAN CHLEBEK
—Joseph Patterson Vice President of Athletics and Head Football Coach joseph.patterson@avemaria.edu
“AMU offered me the opportunity to surround myself with others striving to live a good and meaningful life. I’ve been blessed with amazing friends, mentors, and peers through my time at Ave Maria. Looking back, I can see how the University utilized education, faith, and community to form not only good people but highfunctioning professionals.”
ALUMUS: GERARD PONTERELLI (’18)
