By Justin Zackal
Former Grove City guard Jackie Stewart is now an assistant coach at DeSales University.
Two former Grove City College women’s basketball players are returning to the court in an unfamiliar place, but for a devout purpose.
Jackie Stewart didn’t miss a game in her 107-game career at Grove City that ended in 2017, but she still followed her former teammates as an assistant coach at DeSales University this past season. She contacted Lexie Arkwright, the Wolverines’ star player, shortly after the season with an idea.
“After her last game I said, ‘There’s no such thing as Lexie Arkwright without basketball,’” said Stewart, who had recently signed on as an assistant coach and player for Athletes in Action, a Christian organization that forms teams to compete internationally, share their faith message and serve others through humanitarian aid. “I knew Lexie would be the perfect person to come.”
“I was really sad because basketball has been a major part of my life and with it ending in college it seemed like it was going to be the last, real competitive opportunity that I would get,” said Arkwright, the PAC Defensive Player of the Year who led Grove City with 18.4 points per game last season and was named first-team all-PAC for the second time. “Jackie was telling me about this opportunity that she was doing. It sounds like a good way to serve the Lord while playing basketball and to grow spiritually but still get to play the sport that I love to play.”
Stewart and Arkwright will be the only former NCAA Division III players on a team comprised of Division I and II or equivalent talent that will travel to Nairobi, Kenya, May 28 to June 13, to compete against other professional and club teams in Africa. Following a training camp in Xenia, Ohio, where AIA is based, the team of 10-12 players will travel to Nairobi for a tournament, share their Christian faith with other athletes and spectators, provide direct service through a humanitarian project, and conduct basketball clinics for coaches and players, including one for children in the Kibera, one of the largest slums in the world.
The 2018 PAC Defensive Player of the Year, Lexie Arkwright, will join her former teammate in Kenya.
“I’m super excited about it and to lace up again on the court,” Stewart said. “When I played I used basketball as a platform for a higher purpose. We’ll be spreading the Gospel and sharing our testimonies to hundreds of people, which is something new for me, so that’ll be a really cool experience.”
Stewart and Arkwright played in Puerto Rico while at Grove City, but neither has traveled overseas for a mission trip.
“I’m looking forward to spending time in the culture there, teaching them about Christ and helping with whatever they need,” Arkwright said. “As a Christian, I’m called to mission and this is a good opportunity; to do it through basketball is really cool.”
AIA is accepting donations to support the mission trip and advance their ministries. To donate on behalf of Arkwright or Stewart, visit the following links:
Lexie Arkwright’s AIA giving link: https://give.cru.org/0994141
Jackie Stewart’s AIA giving link: https://give.cru.org/0974085
