Muhlenberg’s mission is partly “to [educate] the whole person through experiences within and beyond the classroom.” A direct route to this immersive education is participating in athletics, which about a quarter of the student body does.
Student-athletes at Muhlenberg benefit from the transformative power of being challenged — physically, in practices, in the weight room and in competition, and also mentally, as they learn to balance the demands of their sport with the demands of Muhlenberg’s rigorous academics. Participating in athletics adds to the roster of each student’s personalized coaching team, with both professional staff and fellow student-athletes providing support above and beyond what all students receive. Student-athletes make their impact, not just in competition but as leaders among their teammates, in the classroom and across campus. All this happens in the welcoming environment of the Muhlenberg athletics community, in which student-athletes forge connections across sports and find a sense of belonging that lasts a lifetime.
“At Muhlenberg, athletics play a really important role in our educational mission and our community,” says President Kathleen Harring. “They’re challenging, they’re supportive and there are few more effective ways to learn about leadership, perseverance and teamwork.”
“I believe Division III athletics at an academically rigorous place like Muhlenberg represent the very best of what College athletics were designed to do — provide opportunities for our scholar-athletes to excel academically and apply what they are learning on the field or the court and in the classroom in every aspect of their collegiate experience and beyond,” adds Vice President for College Life and Dean of Students Allison Williams. “When students connect the dots between their experience in those two spaces, the results are transformative.”
Though college marks the end of the road for participation in many team sports, the out-of-competition gains student-athletes realize at Muhlenberg continue to serve them long after they graduate. These alumni exemplify the lifelong positive impact of competing as a Mule.
Dennis Williams ’97
“Leadership and collaboration are absolutely things I learned at Muhlenberg that I still use daily … I have to be able to collaborate with teachers, parents and the community and demonstrate a certain type of leadership so that each and every kid gets what they need.”
Rachel Drosdick-Sigafoos ’07
“The most amazing thing that I got from being a student-athlete was the depths of the relationships with my teammates … The bonds that we created at that time were forged in steel.”
Spencer Liddic ’12
“I’ll hear a lot of people say, ‘I don’t have enough time for something.’ To me, instead of ‘I don’t have time,’ it’s ‘I haven’t prioritized that time.’ If you have good time management skills, it’s incredible how much time there is in a day to get work done.”
Laura Williams ’89
“Those skills of being part of a team, working toward common goals, having high expectations for yourself and others and trying to set the bar high for what you expect in terms of performance have helped me professionally.”
Mules Sound Off
Current student-athletes weigh in on how their athletics participation has enriched their Muhlenberg College experience so far.
“Our coach makes being a student a really high priority. She requires all freshmen to have academic meetings with her. That set me up for success. I still use all the skills she taught me.”
—Kaya Mahy ’25 (softball), Psychology major, public health minor
“The fact that I’m taking up all this time to run and train helps me become more efficient in the time that I have. Having less time is better for me.”
—Sam McDonough ’24 (track), French and Francophone studies and psychology double major
“I’m generally a quieter person, but being on a team in a much more social setting, I have grown a lot — I’m cheering more, getting loud, getting out of my comfort zone.”
—Brooke Shiver ’25 (volleyball), Premed biology major