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Pensacola Christian Eagles

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Pensacola Christian Eagles
UniversityPensacola Christian College
AssociationNCCAA
ConferenceNCCAA Division II South Division
Athletic directorMark Goetsch
LocationPensacola, Florida
First season1977
Varsity teams4 (2 men's, 2 women's)
Basketball arenaArlin R. Horton Sports Center (3,199)
Soccer stadiumEagle Field (<1,500)
MascotEagor
NicknameEagles
ColorsFreedom Blue and White
   
Websitepcceagles.com

The Pensacola Christian Eagles are the athletic teams of Pensacola Christian College, located in the Brent area of Pensacola, Florida. The Eagles are members of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), competing in Division II of the South Division. Athletic teams include: men's basketball (1977), women's basketball (2008), volleyball (1994), and men's soccer (2016). The Eagles have won ten national championships throughout their history: eight in the NCCAA and two in the NCWA. Former sports include men's wrestling (1991–2006) and baseball (early-1980s). Their rival is Bob Jones University.

Programs

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Men's basketball

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Men's basketball was the first athletic program to compete at Pensacola Christian College. The program first competed during the 1977-78 basketball season,[1] going 12-10 and coached by Del Wubbena.[2] Men's basketball was part of the Orange Belt Christian Conference (OBCC) of the NCCAA from the 1980s until the early-1990s, winning the in-season tournament multiple times.[3][4] The Eagles played their home games at the Pensacola Christian High School gymnasium from 1977 to 1980 as Pensacola Christian College had yet to have their own facility.[1] January 30, 1981 marked the Eagles' first game in their new field house, known as the John Ray Hall Field House, as they defeated Atlanta Christian College 106–85.[5] They would play at the 2,000-seat Hall Field House until 1993 when they moved to the much larger and more spacious Arlin R. Horton Sports Center.[6]

The Eagles did not make their first NCCAA National Tournament until 1998.[7][a] They later competed in the national tournament in 2014 and 2016 as a Division II institution.

Men's Basketball National Tournament History
Year Tournament Finish (record) Source
1998 NCCAA Division I National Tournament 6th (1–2) [8]
2014 NCCAA Division II National Tournament DNP (1–2) [9]
2016 NCCAA Division II National Tournament 5th (3–1) [9]

Women's basketball

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Women's basketball is a fairly new program at PCC, arriving at the college in 2008.[10] The program started to experience success in the mid-2010s, first making the NCCAA national championship in 2014 and making the tournament in every season since. The Eagles were NCCAA Division II national champions in 2022.

Women's Basketball National Tournament History
Year Tournament Finish (record) Source
2014 NCCAA Division II National Tournament N/A (1–2) [11]
2015 NCCAA Division II National Tournament N/A (1–2) [11]
2016 NCCAA Division II National Tournament 6th (1–2) [11]
2017 NCCAA Division II National Tournament DNP (1-1) [12]
2018 NCCAA Division II National Tournament 3rd (1-1) [13]
2019 NCCAA Division II National Tournament 2nd (1-1) [13]
2020 NCCAA Division II National Tournament (1–0)/COVID-19 [13]
2021 NCCAA Division II National Tournament 3rd (2–1) [14]
2022 NCCAA Division II National Tournament Champions (3–0) [13]
2023 NCCAA Division II National Tournament 4th (1–2) [13]
2024 NCCAA Division II National Tournament 3rd (2–1) [13]

Men's soccer

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Men's soccer is PCC's newest sport, returning to Pensacola Christian in the fall of 2016 for the first time since the 1980s. Evidence of a former men's intercollegiate soccer team dates back to at least 1981; the team went 5-5-2 that season.[15] Men's soccer has won the NCCAA Division II national championship three times, most recently in 2023.

Men's Soccer National Tournament History
Year Tournament Finish (record) Source
2017 NCCAA Division II National Tournament Champions (3–0) [16]
2018 NCCAA Division II National Tournament DNP (1-1) [16]
2019 NCCAA Division II National Tournament Champions (3–0) [16]
2020 NCCAA Division II National Tournament Runner-up (1–1–1) [17]
2023 NCCAA Division II National Tournament Champions (3–0) [16]

Volleyball

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Volleyball was the first women's intercollegiate sport at Pensacola Christian College, first played in 1994.[10] The Lady Eagles have made the NCCAA National Tournament seven times in program history: twice in Division I and five times in Division II. Their 2021 appearance marked the first time the Lady Eagles advanced past the pool stage of the tournament before they were eliminated in the semifinal round by Johnson University (TN).[18]

Volleyball National Tournament History
Year Tournament Finish (record) Source
2002 NCCAA Division I National Tournament DNP (1–3) [19]
2009 NCCAA Division I National Tournament DNP (0–4) [19]
2014 NCCAA Division II National Tournament DNP (1–3) [20]
2015 NCCAA Division II National Tournament DNP (2-2) [20]
2020 NCCAA Division II National Tournament DNP (0–2) [21]
2021 NCCAA Division II National Tournament Semifinals (2-2) [18]
2024 NCCAA Division II National Tournament TBD [22]

Former sports

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Former "heritage" sports at Pensacola Christian College include baseball and men's wrestling.

Baseball was a short-lived sport at PCC, played from 1981[23] until around 1983. Pensacola Christian and Alabama Christian (now Faulkner University) played an extremely unconventional triple-header on April 10, 1982, in which the Eagles lost all three games and were outscored 30–6, allowing a total of twenty stolen bases in games consisting of five, seven, and six innings, respectively.[24]

Men's wrestling

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Men's wrestling was a sport at Pensacola Christian from 1991 until 2006, competing in the NCCAA from 1991 to 1998 and in the NCWA from 1998 to 2006. The Eagles' first wrestling matchup was a loss to Florida State at PCC on November 23, 1991.[25] As of the 2004–05 season, Pensacola Christian was the only varsity intercollegiate men's wrestling program in the state of Florida (all others, including other NCWA programs, were club sports).[26] Sixty-seven Eagles were named All-Americans throughout the program's history: 28 in the NCCAA and 39 in the NCWA. While in the NCWA, PCC won two Most Outstanding Wrestler awards and had nine national champions.[27][28] Men's wrestling was coached by hall of fame wrestler Jim Hazewinkel from 1991 to 2006.[29] Dave Hazewinkel, Jim's twin, was briefly Pensacola Christian's co-coach as of 2004.[30]

Year Coach Accolades
1991-92 Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Championship 4th Place

1 All-American

1992-93 Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Championship 3rd Place

3 All-Americans
Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year

1993-94 Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Champions

5 All-Americans
Outstanding Wrestler Award Recipient
Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year

1994-95 Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Champions

4 All-Americans
Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year
PCC Invitational Champions[31]

1995-96 Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Champions

7 All-Americans
Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year
PCC Invitational Champions[32]

1996-97 Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Championship 2nd Place

4 All-Americans
PCC Invitational Champions[33]

1997-98 Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Champions

4 All-Americans
1 At-Large All-American
Ben Peterson Christian Sportsmanship Award Recipient
Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year[b]

1998-99 Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Champions

NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions

1999-00 Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Champions

NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions
Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Coach of the Year[34]

2000-01 Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Championship 3rd Place

NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions

2001-02 Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Championship 5th Place

NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions
Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Coach of the Year[35]

2002-03 Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Championship 5th Place
2003-04 Jim Hazewinkel
2004-05 Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Championship 8th Place
2005-06 Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Championship 3rd Place

NCWA Southeast Conference Tournament Champions

Sources:[27][28]

Facilities

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The Arlin R. Horton Sports Center is the home arena for the basketball and volleyball programs. It opened in 1993, and, along with the 3,199-seat arena, includes an ice-skating rink, a bowling alley, a rock climbing wall, racquetball rooms, a waterpark with a FlowRider, and an inline skating rink, among other amenities.[36]

Eagle Field is home to men's soccer and also serves as an athletic field for collegian soccer. It seats nearly 1,500 in the bleacher section. Eagle Field is also home to the famous Turkey Bowl: the coveted collegian soccer championship games for men's and women's collegians.[37] Eagle Field was formerly College Field prior to the start of the intercollegiate men's soccer team in 2016.

Competition and rivalries

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Pensacola Christian's de facto rival is Bob Jones University. The rivalry has been in place ever since the Bob Jones Bruins began an intercollegiate athletics department in 2012.[38] The Eagles are also rivals with Trinity Baptist College. Former rivals include Clearwater Christian College, Concordia College Alabama, and Tennessee Temple University.[39]

Notable athletes

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Notes

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  1. ^ The official PCC Athletics website lists the program as having made the National Tournament in 1996. However, the final two games of that season were actually part of the NCCAA District 2 Tournament
  2. ^ The "Men's Wrestling Archives" document mistakenly has Jim Hazewinkel as being the coach at Indiana Wesleyan under the 1998 "Coach of the Year" entry. Hazewinkel was the men's wrestling coach at Pensacola Christian for the entirety of the program's history.

References

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  1. ^ a b Joyce, Ronnie (July 29, 1977). "Intercollegiate Basketball...It's Coming to Pensacola Christian College". The Pensacola News. p. 15. Retrieved August 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Ingram, Junior (April 6, 1978). "Wubbena Resigns Christian College Post". The Pensacola News. pp. 13, 15. Retrieved August 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
    Page 15
  3. ^ Helton, John (February 4, 1985). "PCC Builds Winner, Hopes for Playoff Bid". Pensacola News Journal. p. 11. Retrieved August 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Pensacola Christian College 89, Trinity Baptist 55 at Jacksonville". Pensacola News Journal. January 27, 1991. p. 26. Retrieved August 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "PCC Opens Gym With Victory". Pensacola News Journal. January 31, 1981. p. 14. Retrieved September 3, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Cavallin, Jeff (November 12, 1993). "PCC Unveils Sports Arena Tonight in Home Opener". Pensacola News Journal. p. 37. Retrieved September 3, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Swanson, Pete (March 18, 1998). "Slate Toughens Pensacola Christian". Princeton Daily Clarion. p. 10. Retrieved August 23, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "NCCAA Men's Basketball Division I History" (PDF). NCCAA.
  9. ^ a b "NCCAA Men's Basketball Division II History" (PDF). NCCAA.
  10. ^ a b "First Year of Lady Eagles Basketball (PCC Update — Winter 2009)" (PDF). static.pcci.edu. 2009. pp. 4, 5. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "NCCAA Women's Basketball Division II History" (PDF). NCCAA.
  12. ^ "2017 Women's Basketball DII Championship". thenccaa.org. 2017. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Women's Basketball - Pensacola Christian College Athletics". pcceagles.com.
    All schedules are available dating back to the program's beginning in 2008.
  14. ^ "2021 DII Women's Basketball National Championship". thenccaa.org. 2021. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  15. ^ "PCC Opening Soccer Season". Pensacola News Journal. September 15, 1982. p. 13 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b c d "Men's Soccer - Pensacola Christian College Athletics". pcceagles.com.
    All schedules are available dating back to the program's beginning in 2016.
  17. ^ "Randall University Captures 2020 DII Men's Soccer National Championship". thenccaa.org. November 21, 2020. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "2021 DII Women's Volleyball National Championship". thenccaa.org. 2021. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Women's Volleyball Division I Archived Files" (PDF). NCCAA.
  20. ^ a b "Women's Volleyball Division II Archived Files" (PDF). NCCAA.
  21. ^ "2020 DII Women's Volleyball National Championship". thenccaa.org. 2020. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024.
  22. ^ "2024 Division II Women's Volleyball National Championship". thenccaa.org. 2024.
  23. ^ "PCC Baseball Season Begins". Pensacola News Journal. February 27, 1982. p. 13 – via newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Houser Leads ACC to Three-Game Sweep". The Montgomery Adviser. April 11, 1982. p. 43. Retrieved September 28, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Staff Reports (November 24, 1991). "Pensacola Christian Loses Wrestling Opener". Pensacola News Journal. pp. 30, 32 – via newspapers.com. Page 30
  26. ^ Wyrich, Tom (April 10, 2005). "UCF Wrestlers Own National Collegiate Wrestling Association Title". The Orlando Sentinel. p. K13 – via newspapers.com.
  27. ^ a b "Men's Wrestling Archives" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2023.
  28. ^ a b Farrell, Scott. "2012-2013 NCWA Media Guide and Record Book" (PDF). ncwaalumni.weebly.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2019.
  29. ^ Nelson, Tom (June 23, 2011). "Jim Hazewinkel to be Inducted into Northern Sun Hall of Fame". content.usawmembership.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "Eagles' Twin Coaches Wrestle in Michigan (PCC Update—Fall 2004)" (PDF). static.pcci.edu. 2004. p. 8.
  31. ^ McNamara, Bill (November 20, 1994). "PCC Wins Wrestling Tourney". Pensacola News Journal. p. 37 – via newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Pensacola Christian College Eagle Tournament". Pensacola News Journal. November 19, 1995. p. 34 – via newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Wrestling". Pensacola News Journal. November 10, 1996. p. 32 – via newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Wrestlers Claim National Title (PCC Update Summer 2000)" (PDF). static.pcci.edu. 2000. p. 8.
  35. ^ "Eagles Finish Fifth at Nationals; First in Conference (PCC Update Summer 2002)" (PDF). static.pcci.edu. 2002. p. 10.
  36. ^ Colville, Matt (December 28, 2019). "Arlin R. Horton Sports Center – Pensacola Christian College Eagles". stadiumjourney.com. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  37. ^ "Turkey Bowl 2023: More Than a Game". news.pcci.edu. November 20, 2023. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  38. ^ Bob Jones University Athletics Department (January 17, 2014). "Eagles Clip Bruins 71-69". bjubruins.com.
  39. ^ Pensacola Christian Athletics Department. "Men's Basketball History (Opponents)". pcceagles.com.
  40. ^ "John Libka: Led to the Major Leagues (PCC Update—Spring 2024)" (PDF). static.pcci.edu. 2024. pp. 19–21.
  41. ^ Bernreuter, Hugh (May 26, 2012). "Vassar Juniata Grad John Libka Takes 'Minor' Steps as Midwest League Umpire". mlive.com.
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