Sunbird student-athletes continue to bring recognition both in and on the fields, pools and courts, and beyond, engaging the cultures and serving the cities to live out President Jones’ call for Fresno Pacific University—and the word is getting out.

Pacific magazine has highlighted the more than 100 alumni we have coaching throughout the Valley (and one in the pros), and the thousands of volunteer hours student-athletes perform for community organizations. Whether it’s coaching at local high schools and community colleges, supporting relief work around the globe or leading defensive schemes for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, FPU athletics alumni can be found making an impact all over.

In the short time we have been in NCAA Division II our teams have continued to succeed and find ways to represent this university and community well. This past fall our men’s soccer team made it to the NCAA tournament, where we traveled to Seattle to take on perennial power Cal Poly Pomona. It was amazing to see the alumni that showed up to the game. This winter our women’s basketball team is enjoying the best season in 17 years and just clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time in the program’s NCAA era.

The strong relationship Sunbird athletics has enjoyed with our local media partners has grown since we’ve been in the NCAA, with multiple stories in the past few months featuring our staff, programs or individual student-athletes. This has allowed thousands of viewers to see firsthand what Fresno Pacific is all about. Each piece exemplifies how community-oriented our university truly is and presents the university in a positive light.

Here are a few of those stories:

• Head men’s soccer coach, Jaime Ramirez, might be the most fit person on campus: https://bit.ly/2EhELVF
• Volleyball player Jaalyn Sotoa-Stuebing sings the National Anthem before playing: https://bit.ly/2Ta8c4A
• Women’s basketball sixth-year senior Bree Alvarez overcomes adversity to lead the team in scoring and minutes: https://bit.ly/2BKaOfh
• Head men’s basketball coach, C.J. Haydock, implements an orange folding chair to help change a defensive mentality: https://bit.ly/2GzT9uK

These are just a few examples of how our student-athletes apply the leadership skills they hone as Sunbirds. Thanks for helping to develop those skills go to our coaches, who persistently and intentionally walk alongside them as Christ-like mentors on their journey.