MORE THAN A GAME

Comprising one-third of the student body, student-athletes are an integral part of the Texas Wesleyan campus, and intercollegiate athletic programs are a vital component of the overall educational experience at Texas Wesleyan.

Nino Etienne ’07 is now a principal and educator in Killeen.

585 student-athletes are competing across Texas Wesleyan’s 22 teams during the Fall 2021 semester. Those undergraduate student-athletes comprise almost onethird of the undergraduate population. Student-athletes are a major component of undergraduate success at Texas Wesleyan. Very few of these student-athletes intend to turn pro after college. Instead, they come to Texas Wesleyan to take advantage of the Smaller. Smarter. approach to education while continuing to compete at the collegiate level, gaining the kind of experiences employers like to see on a resume: Leadership, teamwork, discipline and experience overcoming adversity. It doesn’t hurt that Texas Wesleyan is one of the only regional NAIA schools located in a major urban hub. Fort Worth is the 12th largest city in America and with an average population age of 31.5, also the youngest city in Texas. With major industries, world-class cultural institutions, and access to one of the best sports and media markets, Fort Worth has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the 25 best places for young professionals (2020). When you combine the opportunities available in Fort Worth with the educational approach at Texas Wesleyan, lives change. “You may not see this at major colleges and at the Division I level,” says athletic director Ricky Dotson, “but at our level, student-athletes are here to get their education first. They are using their athletic skills to help them get an education.” Dotson says every year student-athletes tell him stories about how their lives changed at Texas Wesleyan. “They tell me how this place provided them an opportunity to get a job, to start a family,” Dotson says, “and to do things they didn’t think they were capable of doing.” Here are some of their stories.

EMILY HUNT

“Golf, work and school,” Emily Hunt, senior history and political science major, said. “During the school year, everything revolves around those three things.”

Emily joined the golf team after coming to the sport later than many of her peers – she began to play seriously in high school. Her experience confirmed for her that great coaching – and great teammates – were make or break for her in college.

“If you don’t have that connection with your teammates, you’re probably not going to play well,” Hunt said. “I definitely made lifelong friends from our team.”

What’s interesting as Hunt begins to list her friends from the Texas Wesleyan golf team is that she ascribes character traits to each. Elena brings out the best in her teammates. Joely builds camaraderie among the team. We’re a few minutes into our conversation, and it’s already about so much more than just golf.

Emily doesn’t have the longest drive on the team, but she’s got a razor-sharp short game that she knows how to use. “You could put a single ball down and our whole team would all hit it a different way,” Hunt said. “We all think our way around the course differently. It’s about creativity and having the determination to learn more.”

Texas Wesleyan’s focus on critical thinking connected with Hunt from day one. She again draws parallels between life and golf. “Any golfer’s downfall is when you’re not playing the way you would like and you start to copy what the girl next to you is doing,” Hunt said. “You have to stick to your game.”

Sticking to the game for Hunt means pursuing her dreams of studying law, even though many golfers opt for finance and accounting majors. She’s built close relationships with her professors, including Alistair Maeer, A.M. Pate assistant professor of history, and Michelle Payne, associate professor of political science and coordinator of government and legal studies. “I’ve always been the type of person where if I’m in class and I have a question, there is no way I am raising my hand,” Hunt said, “[Payne] always makes me feel like I can go to her office and talk to her about something. I’ve been working with her on internships, too.”

Emily feels ownership at Texas Wesleyan the way that few students do at many larger universities. She says it all comes together at Texas Wesleyan – the people, the small size, the opportunity to compete, to make friends for life. She’s feeling bullish about the future of Texas Wesleyan athletics.

“We’re just getting started,” Hunt said.

MICHAEL BONNER

Michael Bonner looks like he stepped out of Friday Night Lights. He’s every bit the powerful offensive lineman you might expect with a immediately memorable name like that and an athletic record like his. He was an all-conference player his first year. He’s been a familiar face during the early years of Texas Wesleyan football. But there’s much, much more to Bonner than blocking. “The life of a student-athlete is much harder than a lot of people think it is,” Bonner said. He details a list that more than makes his case – early-morning practices, heat, scheduling, studying. Beneath his easy, peaceful demeanor is a highly organized mind that turns connections into action in a way most of us couldn’t – even at our best. But even the poised Bonner found new ways to adapt to the 2020 football season – COVID-19 claimed the fall season and part of the spring schedule. “I was quarantined five times,” Bonner said. It’s no surprise that Bonner is a junior history education major, just by the way he talks and carefully considers the details. He’s also minoring in pre-law. In the middle of the chaos, he’s got a knack for finding and working from the calm center of any idea or issue. He loves American history – and he says that covers a much longer span than most people realize. He looks to Alistair Maeer, A.M. Pate assistant professor of history, as both a history and education mentor. “We’ve become sort of like friends – we’ll text back and forth about summer classes and classes in the fall,” Bonner said, “and also just random stuff that happens along the way.” “My favorite thing about history is that a lot of people think it’s set in stone – what happened is what happened,” Bonner said, “but an archeological dig can change everything if they find something new. History is always changing.” “If you have a friend or relative that is a student-athlete, listen to their experience,” Bonner said. “Guys don’t like to talk about it – we’ll pretend it’s easy – but it’s hard waking up Emily Hunt is a senior history and political science major at 6 a.m. and practicing for three hours.” who stays in the swing by working on her golf game, her career and her studies to be a lawyer. Michael Bonner is a junior history education major who loves discussing how details from the past inform life today – all while pushing the ball forward as one of the football team’s most feared offensive linemen.

TAMEIR GROSVENOR

Tameir Grosvenor is a senior political science major who hopes to study law and work in sports law. She is also a soccer co-captain.

Tameir Grosvenor, senior political science major, is a captain on the women’s soccer team. She takes leadership and responsibility seriously, for one, because she’s been competing at a high level for a long time – many of her rivals in club soccer opted for NCAA Division I teams, and she was also heavily recruited.

But then her friends started to share their experiences at those behemoth programs.

“They said it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and you don’t get to play,” Grosvenor said. “I just didn’t want to do that.”

She met Josh Gibbs, women’s soccer head coach, and liked what she heard about Texas Wesleyan. “It was just so easy,” Grosvenor said. “[Gibbs] said ‘We have a great soccer program. We have a great [political science] program. Our classes are small, so if you need help, we’re there. Oh, and we have a great tutoring program.’”

Grosvenor was sold. She had never competed in Fort Worth, so the atmosphere felt new, even for a DeSoto native. When she arrived, she was surprised to find the team supporting her in new ways – encouraging her and pushing her to think like a captain. “We don’t tear anybody down,” Grosvenor said. “We are about uplifting each other no matter what.”

She’s brought that philosophy into her own leadership style, which is collaborative and open. She is a co-captain with senior Danielle Trought – and she says both balance

and complement each other’s style. Both are forwards, too – which means both have their eyes on the goal. Time is in short supply when you’re a student-athlete (with an internship), and Grosvenor said taking college-level courses was an adjustment, but she quickly learned to manage her time efficiently and use resources “Managing your available to her as a student-athlete. She believes the time management will be time correctly as a student-athlete important in her career (she’s hoping to study law and work in sports law). “Managing your time correctly as teaches you how to succeed.” a student-athlete teaches you how to succeed,” Grosvenor said. Texas Wesleyan soccer is a steppingstone to that career in many ways. First, – Tameir Grosvenor, senior political science major Grosvenor says it gives her on- and off-field experience that will help her with clients. Second, she’s able to stack her athletic scholarships with her other scholarships and aid in a way that keeps college affordable. That keeps Grosvenor running toward her goals – she was an FFA member in high school who loves to be outdoors, spending time with animals and getting hands-on with the real world. She values experience along with her education – something she feels she gets more of at Texas Wesleyan. “A lot of people want to go D-I,” Grosvenor said,” but it’s more about the coaching staff, the team and the atmosphere of the school. You’re going to do a lot more there than play soccer.”

NINO ETIENNE ’07

Nino Etienne ’07 is soft-spoken. When he does speak his tone is sure and steady. He looks every bit the wunderkind principal you might see in a TV drama – sharply tailored, tall and on the move. He’s in his third year as principal of Gateway Middle and High School in Killeen, having quickly worked his way up the teaching ranks.

He found that focus in his career as a basketball studentathlete – one that took him on some interesting twists and turns. Etienne started his college career at Baylor. “I was a little lost when I got there,” Etienne said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

With the help of some coaches, he transferred from Baylor to Texas Wesleyan where he’d join a squad on its way to becoming the legendary 2006 NAIA National Championship team – a win that unfolded in a high-stakes, suspense-filled tournament clinched in the final seconds on a last-second basket. “We were like brothers – and tight,” Etienne said. 5 a.m. bus calls. Grueling practices. Etienne thinks these kinds of realities taught him to prioritize both his physical and mental acuity. Etienne refers to it as a resilience – a mental toughness that athletes learn to quickly channel thanks to their competitive experience. “I played every position,” Etienne said. “I was there and whatever our need was, I was ready to go and compete.”

Etienne slipped behind early in his academic career. His advisor – Pam Rast – sat down, introduced him to exercise science and helped Etienne detail a schedule that would get him back on track with his dreams of being an educator. It wasn’t easy – Etienne took more than 21 hours in one semester his senior year – but it was worth it. He’s earned his master’s and doctorate degree from Keiser University in the years since.

He and his wife, Stephanie, herself a lead teacher at Killeen High School, are the parents of two children – Faith and Nino. Killeen is a high-transit city. Many students have roots across the country and globally. Gateway School, where Etienne is principal, is an alternative school, which means students have often been disciplined for a code of conduct violation before attending.

Etienne can relate and empathize with the students. He attended school in Killeen ISD and knows the area intimately. He is devoted to seeing his students find and achieve their goals.

Etienne briefly played basketball in Panama before returning home to Texas. After a stint in San Antonio, he felt Killeen calling him home. He started a PE and coaching job in Killeen ISD, and it sparked a passion in him. “I really felt Killeen is my home and those are the kids that I want to make the biggest impact for – just the things my teachers and administrators did for me – what they did for me was amazing.”

He’s paying forward the experience he had as a student. “I’m thankful for the faculty, the staff and the coaches at Texas Wesleyan,” Etienne said. “I was a little lost when I got [to Texas Wesleyan] and they took a chance on me. I was able to come out of there a much better person.”

“I show up for a game at Texas Wesleyan and bring the whole family into the locker room and show them what their dad did – it feels good still being able to go on campus.”

Nino Etienne ’07, was part of the 2006 National Championship basketball team that still gets discussed around campus today. He’s now a principal and educator in Killeen.

Willa Gipson ’83 was a dual-sport athlete who excelled at volleyball and basketball. She’s gone on to successful careers in both education and business – always a dual threat.

WILLA GIPSON ’83

Willa Gipson ’83 always knew about Texas Wesleyan – she grew up not far from campus in Fort Worth’s Stop Six neighborhood. She was recruited by volleyball coach Sinah Goode (the two keep in touch to this day).

That relationship was life-changing from the very beginning. “My mom could not have afforded to send me there on her own dime,” Gipson said. “That scholarship sounded so good!”

The scholarship would pay off for Gipson and Texas Wesleyan – where she would play both volleyball and basketball. Her personal career highlight was defeating Texas Lutheran to earn a bid to the national tournament.

The team played then-Regis College (now University) in Denver, Colorado. In another example of Texas Wesleyan’s community-culture, Goode arranged for Willa’s mom to fly out for the game. The team lost in the finals to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, but Gipson still considers them “the best team on the mainland.”

The camaraderie sticks with her. “I remember being good friends – the men’s basketball players and the softball players and the tennis players – because we all knew each other,” Gipson said.

Gipson’s career mimicked her multisport excellence. She graduated with an education degree and started a successful career as a coach and educator, first at Haltom High School and then as athletic director in Birdville ISD. She is in the Birdville’s Hall of Fame – and the Texas Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame.

Gipson works hard to be excellent at anything she does. Her side gig – a networking marketing business for energy has been successful beyond her wildest expectations and brought her a new unexpected second career.

“Being a student-athlete gave me direction,” Gipson said. “I truly believe that athletics enhances the education experience because it teaches you: don’t quit, you can do whatever you set your mind to.”

Both of her children competed in sports at different levels – and Gipson believes it is an integral part of the education experience – one that gives students inspiration. It’s something she experienced both as a student and as a coach, educator and administrator. Channeling that power has defined the better part of her life.

“I look back on my career and I just had people in my life at Wesleyan and in high school that made sure I understood how important athletics were,” Gipson said. “Even the failing or fledgling student has motivation when they’re part of a team in an athletic situation.”

Gipson also believes that Texas is a unique place for sports – Dallas-Fort Worth in particular. “The whole country looks at Texas as being kind of the mecca of athletics,” Gipson said. “There’s a mindset [here] that we want the best for our kids so they can have the best experiences.”