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.
Daniel (left) and Joseph Rodgers wearing medals from an NYO competition. (Photo courtesy of Rodgers family)
For thousands of years, the indigenous tribes of the northernmost parts of the globe relied on a set of athletic skills needed to survive in harsh conditions. Over the centuries, these skills became cultural athletic contests involving kicks, jumps, reaches and other tests of endurance and strength.
Then in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1971, in order to preserve these traditional contests in a quickly developing world, the first ever Native Youth Olympics (NYO) were held. Interest and participation in NYO, or what is often known as arctic sports, has exploded in the decades since. It has now extended far beyond indigenous tribes and even sometimes beyond the global north to countries like Mexico and New Zealand.
Held in March in Whitehorse, a city in the Yukon territory of Canada, the 2026 Arctic Winter Games were a celebration of athleticism, competition and cultural pride. Around 2,000 athletes participated, with Team Alaska taking home the most medals (227, 78 golds). The Arctic Winter Games are held every two years and can be thought of as a “Northern Olympics.” These Games include, but are not limited to, arctic sports competitions. It may be the most important athletic competition in Alaska.
Two Team Alaska athletes (who appear in the video above), Daniel and Joseph Rodgers, are brothers who share a passion — and an aptitude — for arctic sports. Daniel, a 16-year-old who was born prematurely and lives with a variety of disabilities, won gold in the teen arm pull and silver in the Alaskan high kick at the Games. Meanwhile, he also took home an impressive three Fair Play Awards recognizing his sportsmanship. And sportsmanship, Daniel’s mother, Elizabeth, says, is highly valued in arctic societies.
“For this culture, to receive a sportsmanship award,” Elizabeth told Sports Spectrum, “it’s more important than receiving a gold because it’s what you can contribute to the community that gives it the highest value.”
Daniel is well aware of the significance of his sportsmanship awards.
“I really feel honored about that,” he told Sports Spectrum. “I’m really happy that the other teams chose me.”
Not to be outdone, Joseph, 14, also captured two silvers and two bronzes at the Games. Joseph’s ability in arctic sports at such a young age is exceptional.
Both brothers currently hold records in various events, sometimes having to surpass each other to reach them. Elizabeth can hardly believe the success her teenagers (she also has a younger son named Luke) have had in arctic sport competition, but she is certain it’s been a divinely inspired journey.
“It’s almost like God’s brought us full circle in a story that we never even thought about, (that) there could be cross-cultural sports,” she said. “So all the giftings that we have, God’s using in a completely different way that we never picked for ourselves.
“It’s just amazing to me to see how we can be involved as a whole family in the different ways that we’re created.”
Daniel winning an award. (Photo courtesy of Rodgers family)
Elizabeth and her husband, John, were missionaries in Mexico when Daniel was born at just 26 weeks. He was 1 pound, 15 ounces, and quality medical care was hours away. He was profoundly deaf, his vision was impaired, he has severe myopia, and he was diagnosed with ADHD.
“Every breath that he took was a miracle,” Elizabeth remembered.
That little baby, barely heavier than the balls he now soars to kick, changed everything. Gone were the Rodgers’ dreams of missionary life. Instead, they moved 13 times in Daniel’s first few years trying to meet his extensive medical needs. American Sign Language (ASL) was necessary. Communicating any Biblical truth seemed a pipe dream, as the Bible hasn’t existed in ASL until recently.
“That was a pretty rough start for me,” Daniel said. “I was pretty much fully deaf when I was born.”
Yet with each passing milestone, the message God first delivered to Elizabeth during those early days in the NICU — as she scoured the Psalms for an ounce of hope — grew louder.
“I saw, as clear as could be, this lion roaring over Daniel in the NICU and over his incubator,” she said. “It was really vivid, dramatic, and that kind of set the tone I feel like for his whole life where God’s roared over him. Circumstances and things change, and He does the impossible. So that’s kind of a repeated theme in his life.”
The Rodgers family with a painting of a roaring tiger. (Photo courtesy of Rodgers family)
By third grade, Daniel was excelling with bilateral cochlear implants, and he had found an athletic outlet in the form of arctic sports.
“I just really enjoyed the event itself,” he said. “… I just had the passion to compete for it.”
It’s a challenge that for Daniel is intertwined with his faith in Jesus.
“I view Him as my Lord and Savior,” Daniel said. “I dedicated my life to Him. I’ve asked for forgiveness. … I try the best I can to hold the morals in the Bible and what it talks about.”
Daniel finds himself praying often during competition, and his awareness of God’s presence gives him a deep sense of peace.
“[Daniel’s story is] not a story of ‘try hard and your dreams will come true.’ It’s a story that God chose him from his birth, and He’s writing his story and He’s doing things by the power of His Spirit,” Elizabeth said. “And when we cooperate with Him … He can do things we could never dream of.”
Faith in Christ is at the forefront of Joseph’s mind when he competes, as well. With Christian music thumping in his headphones and a faith-based necklace around his neck, several Bible verses often come to mind as he sizes up his next jump or kick. His nights often end by spending time in God’s Word.
“As I got older,” Joseph said, “I wanted to look deeper into [Christianity]. You know how some people say they’re Christians but don’t know anything about it? I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to actually understand why I believe what I believe.”
Elizabeth often finds herself struck by God’s goodness to her and her family.
“To me, it just feels absolutely miraculous,” she said. “Like it’s a story that I could never have conceived and ever dreamed of. … I feel that one of my jobs as a mom is to help [my kids] discover God’s mission for their life and His calling for each one of their lives. And in our family, it happens to be that they have this wild calling for NYO!”
Joseph competing in the high kick. (Photo courtesy of Rodgers family)
At each competition, when Daniel and Joseph aren’t busy winning medals, the Rodgers family can be found passing out tracts with a picture of a roaring lion and Daniel’s story on the back. It’s a story that doesn’t make medical sense, but in God’s equation, it’s just one example of His perfect power and steadfast love for His children.
And as they seek to spread the Good News of the Gospel to the arctic sports community and spread the excitement of arctic sports to the rest of the world, they are ambassadors who one day dream of seeing arctic sports included in the Winter Olympics. It may seem unlikely, but they’ve each seen God do much, much more.
Benjamin Watson (Photo courtesy of Arise With The Guys)
This Sunday, families across the country will crowd around tables loaded with food. There will be silence and then eruptions of cheering. Children will sprint across yards and open fields. Tears of joy will roll down jubilant faces.
I’m not talking about the Super Bowl.
I’m talking about something bigger, the event that makes every other event feel small by comparison: Easter.
For Christians, this is our Super Bowl. Except the Super Bowl fades by Monday morning. Easter is the one event where the outcome doesn’t just change a season; it changes everything forever.
Christ’s resurrection is the single most important event in the history of mankind. His promise to do so is the most important promise ever fulfilled. If He had not completed this work, then we as believers are of all men to be most pitied. In fact, it is the resurrection that gives us not only hope for eternity but also power in the present and forgiveness for the past.
Without the resurrection, Scripture would be regarded as nothing more than a collection of moral allegories, spiritual suggestions and fantastical fables. Why should I or anyone else live with integrity or serve the hungry, poor or grieving if the Word has no authority?
Jesus rose not only to crush moral relativity but also to extend an open invitation to all, saying that whosoever will come in repentance and faith can become a child of God.
I spent my career as an athlete. My worth was measured in catches, yards and championships. It was the aggregate of my highs and lows — seasons that came and went, a body that aged whether I wanted it to or not.
I have been to the Super Bowl. I know what that stage feels like: the noise, the stakes, the electricity in the air. I also know what Monday feels like. The confetti is swept up, and the trophies are put into cases. The story moves on.
Easter doesn’t. Two thousand years later, we are still talking about an empty tomb…
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.
If someone read Anne Schleper’s bio from the past five years they would wonder what she hasn’t accomplished.
