Belmont Abbey to undergo major athletic department additions
1/12/2005
Belmont Abbey Sports Information
Belmont, N.C. – Belmont Abbey Director of Athletics Eliane Kebbe announced the addition of six new sports to the College. Four varsity sports and two junior varsity sports will begin in the 2005-06 school year. The new sports will be men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, women’s golf, wrestling, junior varsity basketball and junior varsity baseball.
“We are extremely excited about the addition of these new sports and the dramatic growth the athletic department is experiencing,” Kebbe said. “I am grateful for the administration’s forward-thinking vision and leadership, which has given us the means and support to continue building a first-class athletic department.”
In adding these sports, Belmont Abbey will continue its emphasis on the virtue of excellence, as it does in all academic and athletic programs. This focus on excellence is a cornerstone of the faith and philosophy of Belmont Abbey’s President, Dr. William Thierfelder, and is carried over into every single aspect of the College, Monastery, and Abbey Basilica.
“In its broadest sense, virtue means the excellence of perfection of a thing,” says Dr. Thierfelder. “I believe that sport is a powerful means for developing virtue “excellence, in our student”“athletes. The purpose and justification for our athletic program at Belmont Abbey College can be summed up in the following quote from Pius XII, Sport at the Service of the Spirit: ‘Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator.’ Now imagine a group of men and women who are trying to live this quote by striving to be excellent, truly virtuous, in all they do. This is the commitment of every Belmont Abbey College Crusader.”
An aggressive search for successful, top-level coaches is currently being conducted, and Kebbe fully understands the importance of finding the perfect fit for Belmont Abbey.
“It is crucial that we develop student-athletes who are able to excel both on and off the playing field, and continue Belmont Abbey College’s tradition as a leader and model for other colleges,” Kebbe said. “Finding coaches who are able to understand the importance of their role in the success and development of our students and our future is critical. We are dedicated to finding true leaders with the vision and understanding necessary to bring out the greatest potential in every student and athlete.”
Belmont Abbey College, named one of the country’s leading, private liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report, is located in Belmont, North Carolina, 15 miles west of Charlotte. The campus consists of the College, the Monastery and the Abbey Basilica, which can be found on its sprawling 650 acres of picturesque landscape. Nearly a thousand students call The Abbey home. The students represent more than 18 countries and 34 states and pursue undergraduate degrees in a number of liberal arts course offerings.
Founded in 1876, the College celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the College and Abbey Basilica greet thousands of visitors each year.
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