Center for Athletic Discipleship & Excellence

Through the Center for Athletic Discipleship & Excellence (CADE) we seek to promote, direct, and support each student athlete to reach their full potential in the areas of faith, academics, and athletics. This is framed by the most important endeavor of LeTourneau Athletics, which is that our student athletes grow in their relationship with Christ as a result of their student athlete experience. 

FAITH:

Integration of faith is a part of every course, every team, and every residence hall

• 90.2% of student athletes report being satisfied, or highly satisfied with the level of faith integration in their particular sport
• Weekly all-campus chapel
• Bi-weekly team specific small groups
• 2 Student-Athlete Worship Nights each semester
• Regular service opportunities with Special Olympics and other local organizations
• Team specific mission trips

ACADEMICS:

Where work and learning are transformed by faith

• The average student athlete GPA was 3.42 in Fall 2025 (higher than non-athletes on campus)
• Every team had a cumulative GPA over 3.0 in Fall 2025 (sixth straight semester)
• Required athletic study hall
• Tutors offered for numerous courses

ATHLETICS:

Relentlessly pursuing athletic success for the glory of Christ

• 3 All-Americans (2024-25)
• 3 ASC Players of the Year (2024-25)
• Men's Golf made third straight NCAA Championships appearance
• Baseball earned a share of the 2025 ASC regular season title
• Baseball coaching staff named ASC Staff of the Year
• Men’s Cross Country won the American Southwest Conference Championship in the Fall of 2024
• Men’s Cross Country had the ASC individual champion (Walker Reeves) and the Coaching Staff of the Year (Kevin Gideon/Dillon May)
• Volleyball’s Morgan Nix was named the ASC Libero of the Year for a third consecutive season.
• New 6,000 square foot weight room (opened Fall 2024)

PRACTICAL EXAMPLES:

• Discipleship Workshop:                Todd Kaunitz, New Beginnings Baptist Church
• Total Coach Workshop:                Brian Smith, Athletes in Action
• Course Offering:                            KINE 4931 Faith Development in Sport
• Workshop with Arrowhead (2025)
• Annual Student Athlete Development Day:          Retreat focused on spirituality in sport
• Presentations:
  • A Vocational Journey Shaped by the Father. Passage Institute for Youth and Theology. Longview, TX.
  • An Intentional Approach to Discipleship and Excellence in Christian College Athletics. Bluefield University, Bluefield, WV.
  • A Faith Informed Approach to Hiring. LeTourneau University Academic Chapel, Longview, TX.
  • Exploring Faith Development through Intercollegiate Athletic Participation [Conference session]. Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure, and Sport Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX.
  • A Practitioner Perspective on Hiring Christian Coaches [Conference session]. Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure, and Sport Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX.
  • Building a Championship Culture Through Faith-Based Values: A Framework for Christian College, Baylor University, Waco, Texas. 
  • Building Bridges: Fostering Healthy Campus Partnerships Between Athletic and Kinesiology Departments, Baylor University, Waco, Texas.