Testimonials

Shaefer Schuetz
Benedictine (Kan.)
Football

"The NAIA level is highly competitive. I know a lot of NCAA schools will have opening-round games with NAIA schools and those are very close games."

Logan Brettell
Baker (Kan.)
Football

"There are some great athletes out here that maybe didn't have the size or the athletic ability to go D1 or D2, but the talent level out here is tremendous.” 

Anna Shields
Point Park (Pa.)
Women's Cross Country/Track & Field

"The NAIA allowed me to be a competitor again. Every athlete should consider the NAIA. It was as exciting to compete in NAIA as any other level. There is nothing lesser about it." 

Kayla Inlay
Morningside (Iowa)
Competitive Dance 

"Competing in the NAIA can be so competitive so stepping up to the next level is great.” 

Mariah "Mo" Hardeman
Grand View (Iowa) 
Women's Basketball

"I was still able to play basketball at a competitive level, but it gave me the opportunity to focus on my studies so that I could get into a really competitive grad school program.” 

Macie Lively
Marian (Iowa)
Women's Basketball

"I would tell anybody if they are looking for a school to plays sports don't just settle on NCAA DI, DII, DIII. NAIA is just as good if not better."

Brent Woods
Grand View (Iowa)
Football & Competitive Cheer

"For the longest time, I had a dream and a goal to go to college, get a scholarship offer, and graduate. And it was the NAIA that gave me the opportunity." 

Bryce Pierce
Cumberlands (Ky.)
Men's Swimming & Diving

"It is being able to represent your school. Being able to see all the people you have been training with all season grow and seeing all the hard work pay off, in the end, is special.” 

Jeff Schuetz
Parent of NAIA student-athlete

"[My son] has always wanted to take his passion for football as far as he can, so the NAIA has allowed him to do that."

Mark Westergard
Parent of NAIA student-athlete

"That's what I appreciate about the NAIA opportunity. Most of the kids are made up of student-athletes from smaller communities and they all have an opportunity to play."

Kassidy Boldt
Aquinas (Mich.)
Competitive Dance

"Basically we get to compete against many other amazing teams. It’s a very friendly, yet competitive environment. All the teams are there working their hardest to achieve the same goal, doing the best that they can. It can be overwhelming at times, but being there with your team is a challenging yet amazing experience and I would highly recommend it to any athlete to try and make it their goal."

Kelli Schrauth
Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)
Women's Basketball

"Growing up and playing basketball your whole life, it’s cool to see all your hard work pay off by going to a National Championship. It is something we have been working towards and being able to play at this level is a blessing."

Kevin Vroegh
Cornerstone (Mich.)
Men's Cross Country

"A championship event is where you see the best stars shine and you get to see the best competition in one place. At the championship level, you normally bring your A game and you really get to see what you have to offer as an athlete. It shows a lot about what kind of person you are whether you lose by a lot, win by a lot, or lose by a little bit. It shows how you react to circumstances and you can see better who you are as a person."

Logan Brettell
Baker (Kan.)
Football

"I think most student-athletes are so competitive that they want to be the best and want to be the team that finished their season with a win. I think that playing in the national championship was that for me. We as student-athletes seek the games where we can play on the biggest stages. ...to play under the brightest lights, on the biggest stage, in front of as many people as they can play and to play against a team that is the best in the country. The magnitude of those games was a lot more than I expected as a freshman coming into the NAIA, but I’m so glad that I chose to come to Baker and play in the NAIA because that experience is something that I will remember forever."

Makenzie Montano
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
Women's Volleyball

"You grow up watching championships and I just couldn’t believe that I was going to be on a team that was going to be considered one of the best in the country. I was given another shot to play while all of these other teams’ seasons were ending. I cried the first time we went to the national championship I was so excited."

Megan Johnson
Baker (Kan.)
Women's Soccer

"The National Championship was a phenomenal experience. I know that it has contributed to some of my favorite soccer memories without a doubt."

Noelle Miller
Lourdes (Ohio)
Competitive Cheer

"We are in the gym every day for 2 or more hours and it’s not easy. We have practices where everything is great and we laugh. But there are also practices where we are tired and injured and we have to overcome. It is wonderful though to show everyone what we have been working on at competitions."

Ruben Lopez
Wayland Baptist (Texas)
Men's Basketball

"The competitive nature. Every time we step on the court we want to prove the people wrong who are doubters or who thought we shouldn’t be there. Proving people wrong and having the motivation to compete for a national championship is surreal."

Tamika Russell
College of Idaho
Women's Cross Country

"Being a collegiate athlete is a good goal in general but making it further to a national championship is something that you should strive for because it’s a once in a lifetime experience. It’s accomplishing something that you probably thought that you would never do."

Tanner Irwin
Williams Baptist (Ark.)
Men's Wrestling

"Getting your hand raised and getting a team trophy. Being in the atmosphere and being around all the great competitors is amazing. I want to put my school and name on the map. I want to show all the hard work that we and our coaches have put in the whole year."

Tim Johnson
Grand View (Iowa)
Men's Volleyball

"I was blessed to be a part of Grand View's program with guys from different places all over the world. They established a unique team culture. We have a saying ‘one team, one family and it’s something that we really believe in."