Welcome, Valkyries!
As your Director of Athletics, it is truly my pleasure to welcome you to campus for the 2019-20 academic year. Our department is very excited about the upcoming year, and we absolutely cannot wait to get started! We have an incredible team of administrators, coaches and support staff ready to serve you and provide you with the resources you need to reach your fullest potential as a student-athlete.
My hope for each of you is that you will pursue excellence in everything you do – in the classroom, in your playing arena, and in life. By pursuing excellence, you will become the best version of you, and becoming the best you can be will lead to an incredible year! There’s no limit to what we can accomplish if we work together, stay committed and keep our priorities straight.
Attend class and be prepared. Take pride in doing well in school, and help us maintain our cumulative grade-point-average of 3.0 or higher each semester. In the fall of 2018, we achieved a 3.1 GPA, the highest GPA in school history, and we finished the academic year with a 3.07. I am so proud of how we keep our academics a priority. With a full commitment to academics, our GPA will continue to rise.
Last year, several of you broke individual and team records. I am so proud of everything you accomplished, and I look forward to seeing you all achieve even more this year. The level of excitement going into this year is quite high, and I hope you all do your part in keeping it that way. Be a good sport, never quit and compete with a “why not us” mentality!
When it comes to community service, we surpassed our goal of 5,000 hours last year, and we finished fifth in all Division II institutions. That is an incredible accomplishment, and you all should be very proud. I hope you will continue to strive to make a difference on our campus and in the community. Get involved on campus, as this will help you become a more well-rounded student-athlete. As for the Spartanburg community, we will provide you with opportunities to serve others, but I encourage you to find ways to serve in areas in which you have a passion.
Throughout this year, I challenge you to rise to the occasion and be brave and resilient, as we strive to maintain the highest standards of Converse Athletics, as this is The Valkyrie Way! #VALSRISE
Go, Valkyries!
Jenn Bell
Director of Athletics