By Chad Briscoe
Athletic Director, Grace College

WINONA LAKE – Grace College athletic director Chad Briscoe issued an open letter to Lancer Nation on Monday regarding the 2020-21 athletic season:

Grace Athletes, Coaches, Parents & Fans:

As we pause and reflect on the year just completed, I want to thank each of you for how we journeyed together through this unprecedented year.

Thank you for being flexible at every turn. Schedules were changed, conference and school policies were created, and you remained dedicated to do your part along the way.

To our athletes…

Thank you for sacrificing throughout the year to make sure you had a season. Most of us experienced constant change, quarantines and countless rescheduling. But through it all, the Lord provided opportunities, protected you, and provided a platform for you to live and share your faith!

To our coaches…

Thank you for your leadership in the midst of a year unlike any other. Thank you for being flexible as challenges unfolded throughout the year. You guided your team through numerous life lessons, helping shape and grow your student-athletes. Thanks for always putting your athletes first and using athletics as a tool to impact lives for Christ.

To our parents…

Thank you for being understanding with new event procedures that affected your regular attendance at home and away events. Thank you for your patience as we learned how best to keep our athletes safe. We felt your constant prayers and support as we navigated each season. Thank you for entrusting your sons and daughters to us in such a year of uncertainty.

To Lancer Nation…

We missed you this year! It was not the same without you all in attendance, cheering for the Lancers. Thank you for being willing to watch online and cheer for your Lancers through social media. We appreciated all the emails, calls, texts and letters supporting our coaches and athletes throughout the year!  We look forward to hopefully being back together when events start in the fall.

If this year has taught us anything, it is that God has designed us to be relational beings. We are meant to be together, building relationships and investing in others!

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

There is much for us to be thankful for and to celebrate this year! Congratulations to Men’s Soccer, Men’s Tennis and Men’s Track & Field on winning the NCCAA national championships during this academic year! Men’s Tennis/Track won two championships on the same day this spring — one of the most memorable days in Grace history! Thank you to every student-athlete for your commitment this year to stay the course, protect your teammates and help keep your team on the field of competition.

Thank you to our president Dr. Katip, the entire Grace Senior Cabinet, our school nurse Laura Green and Dr. Rick Koontz (our FAR) for all their support, guidance and assistance throughout the year. We thank the Lord for all His provisions, blessings and protection throughout this year.

We look forward to fall 2021 and another opportunity to live on mission through the arena of athletics at Grace College!

Go Lancers!

Chad Briscoe

Director of Athletics, Grace College