Northwestern ranked among top 50 Christian college athletic programs

Northwestern College is ranked 32nd in theologydegree.org’s Top 50 Christian College Athletic Programs for 2016.

The ranking, available at www.theologydegrees.org/best-christian-college-athletic-programs, compares athletic programs at member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The list was created by comparing the number of varsity teams, opportunities for women athletes, percentage of students involved in intercollegiate athletics, and athletic revenues at each institution.

The website’s write-up on Northwestern notes that nine Red Raider teams have earned NAIA national championships, seven of which have been since 2001. The website also mentions Northwestern’s strong athletic facilities, which include the Ron and Peg Juffer Athletic Fieldhouse. The 33,000-square-foot facility, which opened in October 2015, provides an indoor practice arena for baseball, softball, football and soccer; a 6,300-square-foot athletic performance center with state-of-the-art Sorinex weight equipment; and a 3,600-square-foot indoor golf practice room, complete with putting green, a variety of turfs and four hitting stations.

Northwestern is one of only two Iowa colleges listed in the ranking; Dordt College in Sioux Center was ranked 36th. Among the other institutions on the list were Taylor University (37th) and Azusa Pacific University (39th).

Theologydegrees.org seeks to help guide others as they make decisions using faith in both their professional and personal lives by compiling rankings that highlight institutions of higher education with exemplary dedication to both faith and academic excellence.