Welcome, Valkyries!
As your Associate VP/Director of Athletics, it is truly my pleasure to welcome you to campus for the 2024-25 academic year. Our department is very excited about the upcoming year, and we 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 at Converse University.
My hope for each of you is that you will pursue excellence in everything you do. By pursuing excellence, you will become the best version of yourself, 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.
Those priorities include attending and participating in class. Take pride in doing well in school, and help us achieve our cumulative grade point average goal (3.1) each semester. You all have performed very well in the classroom over the last six years, and I am so proud of how we prioritize our academics. With a full commitment to academics and with the help of our campus resources, you will continue to be successful.
Last year, several of you broke individual and team records, and we won more conference championships! I am so proud of everything you accomplished, and I look forward to seeing you achieve even more this year. 18 of our 21 programs competed in their respective post-season tournament last year, but let’s strive to get all 21 programs in the postseason this year. The level of excitement going into this year is quite high, and I hope you all continue to do your part in keeping it that way.
When it comes to community service, we served more than 1,000 hours. That is an incredible accomplishment, especially when life as a student-athlete is so busy. I hope you will continue striving to make a difference on our campus and in the community. Get involved on campus, as this will improve your experience and 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, we will do our part to develop and empower you to live a life of purpose by optimizing achievements in academics, competition, within our community, and in life. I challenge you to rise to the occasion and be bold and resilient as we strive to maintain excellence for Converse Athletics, as this is The Valkyrie Way!
Go, Valkyries!
Jenn Bell
Associate VP/Director of Athletics