If someone read Anne Schleper’s bio from the past five years they would wonder what she hasn’t accomplished.
In 2011, she won a gold medal at the World Championships for women’s ice hockey.
The following year, in 2012, she did even better by winning an NCAA title with the University of Minnesota and a silver medal at the World Championships.
She topped the next year in 2013 by winning another World Championship gold and a Canadian Women’s Hockey League title with the Boston Blades.
And 2014? She helped Team USA to a silver medal at the Sochi Olympics in February, and became the third Sochi Olympic women’s ice hockey players to train with an NHL team when she practiced with the Tamp Bay Lightning.
U.S. teammate Hilary Knight (Anaheim Ducks, October) and Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados (Edmonton Oilers, March) were the other two to do so.
Add to those her gold at the Under-18 World Championships (2008), her Western Collegiate Hockey Association defensive player of the year honor (2010), two golds (2008, 2012) a silver (2010) and a bronze (2013) at the Four Nations Cup, and everything Schleper touches seemingly turns to gold (or silver or bronze).
But if you want to know what’s most important to the 24-year-old, go to her Twitter profile, “@_aschlep” where the first two words on her bio say, with seeming exuberance, “Christ Follower!”
Sure, her bio also mentions the 2014 U.S. Olympic team, that she is a two-time world champion, and a University of Minnesota graduate. But it starts with her identity as a Christian and ends with this: “Ao1” which stands for Audience of One, used by Christian athletes to indicate that they play for God and not for themselves.
It’s something she purposely focuses on because she understands today’s athletic culture and the culture in general.
It’s also why she leads Bible studies with other Team USA members.
“Any time you get in the athletic environment, it’s challenging as a Christian. It’s easy to have an ‘it’s about me’ attitude,” she told Athletics in Action. “That’s why it’s important to be around other Christians who can lift you up and pray for you. It’s good to stay connected, and that’s where I’ve seen those Bible studies at camps be so huge. God is opening the eyes of teammates who I would never have thought would come. He’s building it into something bigger and better.”
“I just constantly try to be a light to them,” she shared with Baptist Press. “I want them to be drawn to me so that they are ultimately drawn to Him.”
Which is something bigger than her athletic success.
This story was published in Sports Spectrum’s Fall 2014 DigiMag #3. Log in HERE to view the issue or subscribe HERE to receive 12 issues of Sports Spectrum a year.
From left: Christian Pulisic, VJ Edgecombe, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Hannah Hidalgo, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. (AP Photos)
Welcome to 2026!
As the calendar turns over, an exciting year awaits for fans and athletes alike. Records will fall, champions will be crowned, and the desire to win will push athletes to their absolute limits. Many of those athletes will also seek to glorify Jesus through their words and actions over the next 365 days, and Sports Spectrum will continue to cover all that God is doing in the world of sports.
To get the year started, we’ve compiled a list of 13 such Christ-following athletes (in no particular order) set to make headlines in the sports world this year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, NFL
As this third-year pro has played a crucial role in helping the Seattle Seahawks become one of the best teams in the NFL this season, he’s become one of the league’s best wide receivers. A Pro Bowler in 2024, Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in receiving yards, helping the Seahawks become the league’s No. 2 scoring offense. At only 23, many bright days appear to be ahead for JSN. But catching touchdowns is not his deepest purpose. “I just want to have my hand in this community and build it and share my testimony and my faith in God,” Smith-Njigba said earlier this season. “Just be on the highest stage and praise His name, because that’s what I feel I’m ultimately here to do.”
Christian Pulisic, U.S. men’s national team
For the U.S. men’s national soccer team, 2026 is a make-or-break year. The Americans are hosting the 48-team FIFA World Cup (along with Canada and Mexico), and much of the weight for the U.S.’s performance will fall on the shoulders of this 27-year-old. Considered the best player on the national team, Pulisic (who plays for Italy’s AC Milan) said he’s grown in his faith while playing in some of the biggest soccer leagues in the world. “Something that I’ve grown a lot closer with this past year is my belief in God, especially being alone over here,” Pulisic said in January 2021. “I feel like I always have Someone who’s with me. I don’t know how I would do any of this without that feeling that He’s watching over me and there’s a reason why I’m here.”
Hannah Hidalgo, women’s college basketball
Powered by this dynamic two-time first-team All-American, the Notre Dame women are on their way to a fifth consecutive 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance. Hidalgo’s career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals are all in jeopardy of being broken this season, and the Fighting Irish are expected to vie for the ACC regular-season title. The junior is not yet eligible for the WNBA Draft, but she’s proven she’s one of the most explosive scorers in women’s college basketball. And she knows it’s all a gift. “Christ is my everything,” she said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2024. “He’s my Lord and Savior. He’s the reason that I fight, the reason that I do everything, the reason that I’m able to do what I do. He’s just everything in my life, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without Him.”
Mark Scheifele, NHL
Back in 2011, this Jet was Winnipeg’s first-ever draft pick after the team relocated from Atlanta. Now 15 years later, the 32-year-old is still making plays. He recorded a career high last season with 87 points, and he’s Winnipeg’s career leader in numerous statistical categories (including games played, goals and points). Now, the big question is whether he can lead his team to its first-ever Stanley Cup. But whatever happens this year, he will praise his Father in Heaven. “Praise Him when things are good and praise Him when things are bad,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2024. “I feel so lucky that I was raised in a home where faith was important, and it’s kind of like hockey. Hockey is always a game that you can always grow at. … And faith, it’s the same thing.”
Will Anderson Jr., NFL
This Houston Texans’ edge rusher is wrapping up his third season, once again proving he’s one of the best in the NFL at getting to opposing quarterbacks. The former No. 3 overall pick set new career highs in both sacks and total tackles this season, and he’s a captain for the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Anderson’s performance is likely to earn him a massive contract extension this offseason, but he’s concerned primarily about God’s acceptance of Him. “My focus is just less on what everybody has to say and more on God,” he said in July 2024. “I think my biggest thing is knowing that, like I always tell y’all, my approval comes from Him. Ultimately, everything that I achieve in this lifetime, I’m putting Him first for it, because He’s the reason why I’m here.”
Ethan Holliday, MLB prospect
The Colorado Rockies landed not only an elite baseball prospect, but a son of one of the best players in franchise history when they drafted Holliday with the fourth overall pick in July’s MLB Draft. The son of legendary Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, Ethan is hoping to replicate his father’s baseball success. The 18-year-old is also hoping for a similarly rapid climb through the minor leagues as his older brother, Jackson. The entire Holliday family is known for declaring their faith in Christ publicly. “I knew there were going to be pressures, expectations, but being able to come and find my identity in Christ has taken so much weight off of this journey and I feel free,” Ethan told Sports Spectrum. “It’s a peace you can’t explain. … Navigating through sports and life, if I didn’t have Christ as my center, I don’t know how I could ever do it.”
Jordyn Tyson, NFL Draft prospect
This fourth-year receiver from Arizona State continued to climb NFL Draft boards after putting together another impressive season: 61 receptions, 711 yards and eight touchdowns in nine regular-season games. Many expect Tyson to be one of the top receivers selected in April’s draft, and to provide immediate versatility to an NFL offense. Whatever happens between now and April, however, his full trust is in God’s good purposes. “Regardless of what happens in my life, I’m still gonna be a follower — still gonna have that faith,” he said in October. “Yes sir, I fully trust [God’s plan.] There’s obviously some stuff that I want to happen, but it don’t work like that all the time.”
VJ Edgecombe, NBA
This rookie shooting guard is off to a hot start with the Philadelphia 76ers, sliding right into the starting lineup for a team on track to far eclipse its win total from a season ago. Philly’s first-round pick and the No. 3 overall selection out of Baylor (and the Bahamas) in the 2025 NBA Draft, Edgecombe is still just 20 years old, and NBA fans are excited for his future. For him, however, his one season with Baylor, in the program’s culture of J.O.Y., was significant in giving him an eternal perspective. “I promise you, basketball is going to stop,” he said after Baylor’s loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “How I’m going to approach life after that? I just want to be the best man I can be. I just want to stay connected to God, and if you want to stay connected to God, come to Baylor.”
Mallory Swanson, U.S. women’s national team
This 27-year-old of the Chicago Stars will have at least one more fan cheering her on in 2026, as she and her husband, MLB shortstop Dansby Swanson, welcomed a baby girl, Josie James, in November. Mallory is known for her prolific goal-scoring abilities, and she will try to return to form rapidly in 2026 after missing all of the 2025 NWSL season due to her pregnancy. She and Dansby have sought to center their marriage and parenting on Jesus. The importance of a relationship with God was impressed upon Mallory a few years ago, when she was struggling with injuries and inconsistent play. “My faith in Him has grown immensely,” she said in 2022. “Me getting injured and me missing the Olympics, and me kind of finding myself on the field again, it really started because I found myself in Christ even more.”
Bennett Stirtz, NBA Draft prospect
In less than half a season, this Iowa Hawkeye is making quite a splash in the college basketball world. Stirtz began his college career at Northwest Missouri State in 2022 before eventually transferring to Drake in 2024 and finally Iowa in 2025, where the Hawkeyes are eyeing an NCAA Tournament appearance. Everywhere the 22-year-old has been so far, he’s impressed, and NBA scouts are taking notice. Stirtz regularly appears near the top of NBA Draft boards, and he knows that as his fame grows, so grows his ability to point others to the only One who can save. “I think God’s given me a platform, and that’s one of the reasons why — and probably the biggest reason why — I play basketball,” he told Sports Spectrum, “just having the platform and using the platform in the right way to give glory to Him.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., MLB
The Toronto Blue Jays and their superstar slugger experienced heartbreak in the thrilling, seven-game World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. Now in 2026, with the return of key players like Guerrero, Toronto is again expected to be amongst the World Series favorites. In order to finish the job this year, Toronto will need its 26-year-old five-time All-Star, who still might not have reached his baseball prime. He knows the long climb back to the top of the baseball world begins with his daily routines, and the one he values above all is his time in God’s Word. “Jesus Christ is everything,” he said before the 2024 All-Star Game. “I read the Bible before every game, when I wake up. I pray and read the Bible before bed.”
Veronica Burton, WNBA
The Golden State Valkyries’ guard is a rising star in the WNBA, having been named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2025 and being an all-defensive second-team selection. In addition to her exploits for the Valkyries, the 25-year-old has also been busy building up her international basketball resume; she won gold at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup in November, and she participated in the women’s national team training camp in December. Burton credits it all to the work of God in her life. “The one thing that I try and thank Him for every day is just the opportunities that He’s presented for me,” she said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2023, “because I’ve been able to experience a lot of great things, and things have worked out in my favor. And a lot of that has to do with Him and the grace that He has for me.”
Ty Simpson, NFL Draft prospect
Despite a season-opening loss to Florida State, this redshirt junior helped Alabama right the ship and make the 12-team College Football Playoff as the No. 9 seed. After passing for 3,056 yards on 256 completions with 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions during the 2025 regular season, Simpson is projected to be selected near the top of the NFL Draft. But no matter where his vast football abilities lead him, his identity will remain firmly in Christ. “Football means a lot to me, don’t get me wrong,” he said in August. “I’m going to make sure I do everything, because He’s given me this platform and He’s given me this opportunity. But no matter how many touchdowns I throw, no matter how many wins I have at the University of Alabama, I’m a Christian first.”
THIS IS SPORTS SPECTRUM’S WHAT’S UP PODCAST
WITH ANNABELLE HASSELBECK
On today’s episode of Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast, we have Alex Loera!
Alex shares about her journey through the highs and lows of pro soccer in the NWSL, memories from her days at Santa Clara, and how she finds joy in the hardest of circumstances.
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze walks of the field following a win over Tottenham, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Eberechi Eze had an ambitious and specific prayer ahead of his first North London derby on Sunday. The Arsenal attacker asked God for a hat trick, something that hadn’t happened in a game between Arsenal and their local rivals Tottenham since 1978.
Only three players had ever accomplished the feat. But sure enough, Eze became the fourth, scoring his three goals in the span of 36 minutes and leading Arsenal to a 4-1 victory. After the game, he was quick to credit the faith that has helped sustain him throughout his career.
“It’s what I prayed for,” he told NBC Sports. “I prayed for it today, man, a hat trick. And I got it today, so I’m grateful to God. … That was the prayer today: a hat trick. And God gave it to me. That’s faith, man.”
The 27-year-old found the back of the net on both sides of halftime to extend the Premier League leaders’ advantage to 3-0. He added a third in the 76th minute to complete his hat trick and seal the win.
The game carried a special significance for Eze, who grew up an Arsenal fan and was released by the club as a youth player. He found his way to QPR and then Crystal Palace, where he established himself as one of the Premier League’s most creative players.
After scoring the goal that won Palace the FA Cup last season, Eze decided he was ready for a new challenge. He appeared destined to join Tottenham, but Arsenal came in with a late offer before the summer transfer window closed. The opportunity to return to his boyhood club, which was coming off back-to-back second-place finishes, was too good to pass up.
“I can only thank God for the opportunity to be here, to be playing and to be recognized in this type of manner,” he said in an interview with the club website once his move was official. “For me, this is what I wanted to do. [The club] is in me, it’s part of me and I just feel so blessed. That just gives me more energy to keep pushing and keep working.”
Eze has started eight of Arsenal’s 12 Premier League games this season, contributing four goals and two assists. He has also appeared in all four of the team’s Champions League games, and scored for England during the most recent international break.
Following Sunday’s historic performance, Eze took to Instagram to celebrate. His caption was just one word: Jesus.
Now playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world with aspirations of winning a Premier League title, leaning on his faith allows Eze to stay focused on his ultimate purpose.
“I’ve grown up in a Christian household, regularly going to church,” he told The Athletic in 2023. “For me, it’s hugely important, simply because of the peace of mind it gives me. It allows me to regulate myself and put things into perspective.
“Football can get super intense and you can get caught up in it all, but my faith allows me to realign my focus and know there’s something greater and that there’s a deeper purpose as to why I’m in the position I’m in.”
He says his faith in Jesus helps keep him steady amid the highs and lows of life and being a professional athlete.
“I’ve learned in myself that staying rooted in Christ throughout all the different phases is the most important thing because it allows you to see things with the right lens,” he said recently in another interview. “Things will change. Things go up, things go down, you don’t know what’s around the corner, you don’t know how things may look. The one solid rock and foundation is Christ. Having that allows me to deal with whatever circumstance I’m in.”
Arsenal are six points clear at the top of the Premier League table heading into a crucial week. They host German powerhouse Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday (3 p.m. ET) and visit Chelsea on Sunday (11:30 a.m. ET) in a meeting of the Premier League’s top two teams.
Manchester City's Jeremy Doku chases after the ball against Liverpool on Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
The buildup to Sunday’s showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool centered around the 1,000th game of Pep Guardiola’s legendary managerial career coming against City’s greatest rival during his time at the club. The teams have combined to win the last eight Premier League titles, finishing in the top two spots on three occasions.
By the time the final whistle blew to make City’s 3-0 victory official, however, Guardiola was no longer the story. His left winger, Jeremy Doku, was.
In the first half, the 23-year-old Belgian international drew a penalty kick (though it was missed by teammate Erling Haaland) and led all players in just about every attacking statistic outside of goal contributions.
It was one of the most impressive individual Premier League performances in recent memory, and Doku did it while being subbed off in the 74th minute. He became the first player to score, win 10 duels, complete seven dribbles, create three chances and put three shots on target since fellow countryman Eden Hazard did so for Chelsea in 2019.
Now in his third season at City after joining from French club Stade Rennais, Doku is playing some of the best soccer of his career. He has three goals and four assists in 16 appearances across all competitions so far this season. Six of his seven goal contributions have come in the Champions League or Premier League.
Asked by NBC Sports on Sunday whether he felt like he’d taken his game to another level, Doku attributed his excellent form to a deeper relationship with God and the role faith plays in his life.
“What changed for me this season, I have God in my life,” he said. “That’s what changed, and that’s what you can see. On the pitch, I have His presence with me. That’s the difference. I’m just happy that now I can just deliver the way I want to play without any fear or doubt or anything.”
To celebrate the goal, Doku pointed to himself, wagged his finger and pointed to the sky. He wanted everyone to know that it was about the Lord, not him. It’s been a busy past two months for Doku off the field too, as he has gotten married and baptized.
His baptism followed a two-assist performance in a victory over crosstown rival Manchester United on Sept. 14.
“As a Christian, when you get baptized, your old nature, your old sinful nature dies, and you start living with God,” he told the BBC while discussing his baptism. “You resurrect with God, with Jesus Christ. You can do that as a kid but normally it’s meant for when you’re older and you really realize what you’re doing.
“… It’s the center of my life. There’s nothing more important to me than faith.”
Doku also recently began releasing a documentary series on YouTube that gives fans an inside look into his life off the field. He explained in a clip promoting the documentary that his main reason for doing it is to share the Gospel. He wants his testimony to inspire others.
“I don’t care about the money the YouTube is going to make, how many viewers, I don’t care,” he said. “But if I can open someone’s eyes or heart, open someone’s mind, to see what I saw, and to go deeper in his Christianity, I’m happy, you know? Even if it’s one person.”
Faith is a focus in many of the shows. In Episode 4, “Back to Ghana After 17 years,” Doku references Matthew 25:40 when talking about his desire to serve others.
“I just want to be a giver as well and help people in need,” he said. “That’s what God says: ‘If you give to the least, you give it to Him.’ Doing everything I’m going to do here, that’s the most important part for me: the charity and helping the people in need because that’s what I can give back with the talent that God gave me.”
Doku was included in Belgium’s 26-man squad for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan (Nov. 15) and Liechtenstein (Nov. 18). The Red Devils are currently atop their qualification group and on track to reach the World Cup in the U.S. this coming summer.
City return to action following the international break on Nov. 22 when they visit Newcastle United.
If someone read Anne Schleper’s bio from the past five years they would wonder what she hasn’t accomplished.
