Husband and wife Kyle and Misti Cussen may lead teams at rival universities, but they share the same coaching mission: to reflect Christ's light through the avenue of sports.

My family didn’t have much, growing up in poverty in Pensacola, Fla., but we had
each other, and that was really all we needed. My six brothers and I loved to be outside playing every sport imaginable, sometimes even inventing our own games. I can still remember playing football in the yard with my brothers and cousins, dreaming of one day playing in the NFL.

Last season, Penn State women’s soccer coach Erica Walsh led the Nittany Lions to the national championship game. Despite coming up just short of winning the title, the longtime coach—who also served as a coach for U.S. Women’s Soccer—is helping her team build upon the experience with increased on-field expectations and a continued focus on developing young women of character beyond the soccer pitch.