AT H L E T I C S REVIEW
A Year in Review for Life U
Running Eagles Athletics
Life University’s Athletic teams saw much success and continued
progression in the last calendar year both in competition and in
the classroom. Our growing number of sports is now at 19, with
both Men’s Volleyball and Women’s Lacrosse being added for the 2018-19
season. Along with many accomplishments on the field of play, perhaps most
notable are the successes in the classroom, where many individuals and teams
were honored with academic awards that truly show Life U’s commitment to
excellence for their student-athletes.
2017 Men’s Soccer
The Running Eagles finished the year an even
9-9 in Head Coach Alex Pama’s second year at
the helm of the program. The team made it to
the second round of the Mid-South Conference
Tournament before falling late to Lindsey
Wilson 3-2.
Academically, the program finished with a
3.08 overall GPA, which earned them a spot on
the NAIA Scholar Teams list. On the field, Wessley
Soronellas led the way with 11 goals and two
assists, while Thierry Jules tallied 10 goals with
four assists. Soronellas and Jules earned Second-
Team All-Conference honors for their efforts with
keeper Daryoush Hosseini earning a Second-
Team nod as well. Hosseini picked up 45 saves
in his campaign with a 5-3 record. The program
had nine players selected to the MSC Academic
All-Conference Team, as well as its first NAIA-
Daktronics Scholar Athlete in Spencer Surmont.
2017 Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer program finished its second
year of competition under Head Coach Samantha
Clark last year with a 4-12 overall record. The
team won its first MSC game, as well as being
named a NAIA Scholar Team for the first time.
The program also earned the highest GPA of any
program on campus with a 3.19, while adding two
members to the MSC Academic All-Conference
Team. Josie Davis will return for her senior
campaign in 2018, after amassing a program-best
29 points on 11 goals and seven assists.
2017 Women’s Cross Country
The women’s cross-country team finished the
2017 season under Head Coach Nyles Stuart. The
team finished third at the Piedmont Invitational,
but were highlighted by Elizabeth Skipper, who
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qualified for the NAIA Cross Country National
Championships in Vancouver, Wash. She earned
First-Team All-Conference honors in the Mid-
South for her performance and was additionally
named to the MSC Academic All-Conference
Team. The accolades continued for the junior as
she was also a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete.
2017 Women’s Volleyball
The women’s volleyball program finished its
third season of competition under Head Coach
Steve Wilcosky with an 18-14 overall record.
The Running Eagles started off the season 10-1
but faced a tough Mid-South schedule down
the stretch. The team advanced to the second
round of the MSC Tournament before falling to
eventual National Champion Lindsey Wilson.
On the court, Elizabeth Mann earned First-Team
All-Conference accolades after acquiring nearly
400 kills during the season. For her efforts, she
also was named by the AVCA as an Honorable
Mention All-Region member. Mann was joined
by five of her teammates on the MSC Academic
All-Conference Team, as the program finished
with a 3.04 overall GPA to be included as a NAIA
Scholar Team.
2017-18 Women’s Basketball
The Running Eagles finished their second year
of competition under Head Coach Anthony
Maxwell with an 11-20 record on the court, a
marked improvement from their inaugural six-
win campagin. Kennesha Nichols led the way
for the team averaging 12.8 PPG and 10.7 RPG.
The senior averaged a double-double and was a
NAIA All-American Honorable Mention nominee,
as well as being named to the First Team All-
Conference. Lucy Stone was also named to the
MSC Academic All-Conference Team.
2017-18 Men’s Basketball
Under second year Head Coach Keith Adkins, the
Running Eagles finished the year 21-12 with a
run in the NAIA National Tournament. A nine-
game winning streak early in the year propelled
the team into the NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll,
where the team remained the rest of the year.
The team moved up as high as No. 21, but
finished the year ranked No. 23 in the NAIA. At
the National Tournament, the Running Eagles
upset No. 3 seed William Carey before falling to
Wayland Baptist in the next round. Senior Undra
Mitchem was named an NAIA All-American. He
was also a First Team All-Conference selection
after averaging 15.8 PPG with 520 points on the
year. Zach Landis scored his 1,000th career point
at Life U this past season and earned Second
Team All-Conference accolades, averaging 11.2
PPG and 9.0 RPG. Landis was named the MSC
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on two
separate occasions, while Mitchem earned the
honor once.
2017-18 Men’s & Women’s Swimming
Both swimming programs enjoyed success under
second-year Head Coach Patrick Sonsteng, as
both the men and women qualified to compete
at the NAIA National Championship Meet.
Freshman Gustav Lucas earned the programs
first All-American honor with a seventh-place
finish in the 200-breastroke. The women’s
team sent five individuals to nationals, and the
men’s team sent four. At the end of the National
Championships, the women placed 18th, while
the men finished 15th. Lucas was also named
First-Team All-Conference in the 200-breastroke,
and Kirsten Coetzee earned Second-Team
All-Conference accolades in the 100 and
200-breastroke. Coetzee additionally was named
to the MSC Academic All-Conference Team and
was a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete.