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 3.49 in Spring 2026 (higher than non-athletes on campus)
• Every team had a cumulative GPA over 3.0 in Spring 2026 (seventh straight semester)
• 206 SCAC Academic Honor Roll selections in 2025-26
• One NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award winner (Hannah Newell, Women's Golf)
• 46 CSC Academic All-District selections
• Required athletic study hall
• Tutors offered for numerous courses

ATHLETICS:

Relentlessly pursuing athletic success for the glory of Christ

• Men's Golf won SCAC championship and made fourth straight NCAA Championships appearance, finishing 12th overall
• Women's Golf won program's first SCAC title and made first team appearance at the NCAA Championships
• Volleyball set program-record for wins (19) in NCAA era (since 1998)
• Baseball won most games since 2014 (26)
• Men's Golf won a program-record five tournaments
• One SCAC Player of the Year (Kinley Pessel, Women's Golf)
• Two SCAC First-Year Player of the Year Awards (Kinsey Fulks, Women's Soccer; Rafa Torres, Men's Golf)
• Two SCAC Coach of the Year Awards (Paul Leslie, Men's Golf and Women's Golf)
• One NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award winner (Hannah Newell, Women's Golf)
• One Academic All-American (Maddie Flanery, Softball)
• New Athletic and Human Performance Air Dome (opening Summer 2026)
• 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.