Virtuous Athlete

Brian McQuiade grew up in Ohio, in a faith-filled home, and with a High School Football Head Coach as a dad. Brian excelled as a wide receiver and on the track team at Solon High School in Ohio. He eventually decided to walk on to the football team at Nicholls State instead of running track at Ashland University. During our conversation, Brian shares is faith and athletic journeys, and how they di...

Rebekah Allick was an All-Big 10 and All-American Volleyball Player for the University of Nebraska, and now she plays professionally for LOVB Madison. This conversation with Rebekah celebrates the last episode of year 1 of the Virtuous Athlete podcast, and we close out this first year with a special conversation. While Rebekah was growing and developing on the volleyball court at Nebraska, she was...

Brooks Treadway is a member of the 2026 Ohio High School Division 3 State Championship Baseball Team and a soon to be pitcher for Marietta College. Brooks was the starting pitcher for the 2026 State Championship game, which 30 years prior, when Badin won their last State Championship; it was Brooks's dad and head coach of Badin, Brion Treadway, who was the starting pitcher for the game. He was...

For this monumental episode 50 of the Virtuous Athlete, I sit down with my dad, Don Hoendorf. He is the biggest influence in my love of sports and coaching, and the best example of a strong Catholic husband, father, friend, and mentor I know. Don was a member of the 1970 State Championship team for Chaminade High School; he played collegiately at Wright State University, where he was a member of t...

Britta Curl - Salenne is a professional hockey player and member of the 2026 USA Women's Hockey Gold Medal Team. She was also a part of 3 National Championships at Wisconsin and won the Walter Cup with the Minnesota Frost of the PWHL. Britta grew up in Bismarck, ND, in a strong Catholic and sports-loving family. She credits her parents' example in her faith and the homemade ice rink her da...

Garrett Bernardo is the CEO and co-owner of NOVUS, a premium sportswear company created as a side hustle while Garrett and his brother Nick were playing baseball at the University of Maine. After going on their own individual journeys following college, Garrett, Nick, and eventually their friend Scott reunited to officially launch NOVUS as a full-time brand in 2019. Which brought their first busin...

I sat down for a short conversation with Sr. Bernadette to discuss their relationship with the Spurs and how they view athletics as a key way to evangelize youth and young adults.

This week, I sat down with members of our college baseball faith community who are participating in the NCAA Division 1 Baseball Tournament. This group has met weekly on Zoom to discuss the upcoming Sunday Gospel and how to connect their faith to what they are dealing with in their day-to-day lives of the college season. Those present on the call: Roman Martin - UCLA Third Baseman Camden Kozeal -...

Dan Duddy is an accomplished football coach and sports minister from New Jersey. Dan was a State Champion high school quarterback who went on to teach and coach football in public and Catholic high schools. During our conversation, Dan shared some very meaningful and impactful stories about the impact a coach can have on an athlete's life, as well as from player to coach. He also shares how an...

Larry Weber is an accomplished runner and now a running coach from Washington. He has created a coaching philosophy that is focused on helping his runners find their "Why?" they run and growing their relationship with Christ first, so they have the foundation in their running to know there are bigger things in life than winning a race. He believes  Athletes don't need more motivation...

Logan Allen just completed his fifth season as Chaminade Julienne High School's Women's Basketball coach, during which he led them to their first State Championship in over 20 years! Prior to coaching at CJ, he coached and was the President of the nationally known Dayton Lady Hoopstars. In Part 2 of this conversation with Logan, we dive into their State Championship run in more detail. We...

Logan Allen just completed his fifth season as Chaminade Julienne High School's Women's Basketball coach, during which he led them to their first State Championship in over 20 years! Prior to coaching at CJ, he coached and was the President of the nationally known Dayton Lady Hoopstars. Logan attended Catholic grade school at St. Rita in Dayton, OH, before attending Chaminade Julienne and then the...

Owen Hull is a member of the University of North Carolina Baseball team after transferring from George Mason University, where he was an all-Atlantic 10 player and broke the school's stolen base record. Owen is one of the key pieces to the Tar Heels being the number 2 team in the country at the time of this episode being posted, as he patrols centerfield and is one of the top hitters in the ACC. O...

Fr. Ben Keller is a Dominican priest who is now serving at the St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University. Before discerning a call to the priesthood, Fr. Ben played college baseball at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he began to feel the Lord calling him to share His love with others.   He then spent a year as a Missionary with FOCUS at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, as he...

This special episode is the third session of the Know Your Worth Lenten Series that was co-hosted with Rachel Isaac from CatholicCounselors.com. We sat down for a live interview with J.J. Niekro and Clay Tucker during our 2026 CAC High School Baseball Showcase, which we host for Ohio High School Opening Weekend. We bring 8 of the best Catholic High School Baseball teams together for their first ga...

Fr. Zach Edgar is a priest in the Diocese of Springfield, IL. He is presently on assignment outside his Diocese, serving Cardinal Raymond Burke and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Fr. Zach was Ordained to the Priesthood in 2012 and has had multiple assignments that have allowed him to serve in collaboration with Catholic Athletes for Christ at the high school and profe...

Craig Stammen is in his first season as the Manager of the San Diego Padres. Craig grew up in a small town in Ohio playing every sport he could in his youth and then at Versailles High School, he then played collegiately at the University of Dayton before getting drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2005. Craig made his MLB Debut in 2009 with the Nationals and went on to have a 13-year MLB caree...

MJ Sweeney is in his first year as a Wichita State Shocker, after two seasons at Grossmont College in El Cajon, CA. MJ is the son of Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney, who is also the Chairman of the Catholic Athletes for Christ Athlete Advisory Board. During this episode, MJ shares the impact his parents have had on him over the years through his faith and becoming the man God is call...

Brion Treadway has been the Head Baseball Coach at Badin High School since 2012. Before coaching at Badin, he was a member of their last State Championship Team in 1996, and played collegiately at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. At Charlotte, he was a Freshman All-American and All-Conference Pitcher, before getting drafted in the 3rd round of the MLB Draft in 2000 by the San Fransico G...

Keith McCullugh played college basketball at Drury University and then MidAmerica Nazarene Univeristy, with an opportunity to play professionally. However, he decided to focus on the basketball training business he had started, instead of continuing to play professionally. Keith grew up in a faith-filled home, with parents who loved their children but challenged them to be their best in sports, in...

Fr. Haan is the Pastor of St. Louis de Montfort Church in Fishers, IN, but before becoming a priest he was a walk-on quarterback at Purdue University, and set multiple State Records while playing quarterback at Lafyette Central Catholic High School. Fr. Haan grew up on the farm in Indiana, where he learned the value of hard work and the importance of virtues. while focus on your relationship with...

JP Peltier is a member of the Wright State University Baseball team, which he was a First-Team All-Conference Outfielder in 2025. In the opening week of the 2026 College Baseball season, JP was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week, after hitting a pivotal home run in the Raiders' upset of the top 10 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. JP was a Greater Catholic League Player of the Year in his time...

Nate Manley is a member of the Wright State University Baseball team that ended their 2025 season by eliminating the overall number 1 National Seed, Vanderbilt University, before the Regional Final. This was a first in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Prior to playing at Wright State, Nate played at Nationally known, Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, OH. Nate was able to start at ca...

Elizabeth Benoit is a swimmer at the University of Houston, who won a team State Championship and Individual Event Championships every year of high school. Throughout her very successful swimming career, she has always stayed grounded in her Catholic faith. As a 16 year old when she faced adversity in her life, she ran to Adoration, Confession, the Eucharist, and personal prayer. Elizabeth, or Lal...

Clay Dimick is a professional soccer player for the Charlotte Independence in the USL. During our conversation, Clay shares his amazing story from being adopted after birth, to playing collegiately at Belmont Abbey College, to playing for the Independence since 2019. While at Belmont Abbey he had an encounter with Christ through the witness of his coach and others on campus that inspired him to be...