Bethel University Community Impact Report

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS EXPAND ATHLETIC OFFERINGS Currently, nearly one-third of traditional Bethel University students are athletes.We have high-demand for sports and recreational space, but are limited by facilities. In order to provide spaces for teams to practice and train, Bethel relies on community partnerships. Our urban-situated location enables us to utilize the facilities of partners, without which these sports would not be possible. One of Bethel’s strategic priorities is “Game On”—to add 200 student- athletes by 2022. Two sports launched in 2019 as part of this initiative —Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Men’s and Women’s Bowling. These teams both depend on community partner space to practice and compete. “We wouldn't be able to offer the quality student-athlete experience for these sports without our community partners,” says Athletic Director Tony Natali.“I am so grateful to them to allow us to impact these student- athletes for the Kingdom.” In total, 11 of our sports (five women’s, six men’s) utilize off-campus facilities for home meets (and in some cases, practice, too). These include men's and women's bowling, cross-country, golf, swimming, and men's rugby. By Lissa (Grashorn) Diaz ’07 1 2 3

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