Club Sports Hall of Fame inducts new members, a trio of pioneers for their programs

During Saturday’s seventh induction ceremony at The Virginian in downtown Lynchburg, Liberty University’s Club Sports Hall of Fame added three pioneers who pushed the envelope of what student-athletes could accomplish — on the wrestling mat, ski and snowboard slope, and in triathlon events, as well as in life.

Former 197-pound NCWA Grand National champion wrestler Aaron Thompson (’12, ’14), founding men’s and women’s triathlon Head Coach Beth Frackleton, and former ski & snowboard Head Coach Will Scheren (’08, ’12) set high standards of excellence for their respective programs and have carried their success stories into their personal lives and professional careers.

Thompson, who grew up playing baseball and football, enjoyed the team and individual aspects of wrestling. He discovered the sport before high school and learned life skills and lessons through competing in it at the prep and collegiate ranks.

“You reap what you sow and the only person to hold accountable is yourself,” he said. “The fundamentals I learned while here at Liberty have given me the ability to achieve success on a multitude of levels — in my career meeting and exceeding goals, in my spiritual walk, as a husband and a father, so to Him be the glory.”

Frackleton, now a health and wellness coach for University of Virginia Health in Charlottesville, said she wanted to make a difference in the lives of those she coached.

“My favorite thing in life is to help others be their best selves,” she said. “When you’re a coach, you’re more than a coach, you’re a parent, you’re a teacher, you’re a mentor, you’re everything to those kids. I wanted to help them grow spiritually, emotionally, and physically.”

Though she no longer coaches the sport, Frackleton, who will turn 60 in June, still trains for and competes in triathlons.

“Sports teach us so much,” she said. “Sometimes things don’t go so well, but you don’t fail. You learn from it. You keep going.”

Scheren, who now serves as director of online engagement in Liberty’s Office of Spiritual Development, was introduced by Ryan Leeds, who succeeded Scheren at the helm of the ski and snowboard team and is currently the director of leadership training for Skiers & Snowboarders for Christ in Colorado.

Leeds said Scheren combined a passion for the sport and a vision for what the fledgling program could become, a USCSA national championship contender. As a coach, he wouldn’t shout instructions at his skiers and riders, but led by example out on the slopes, jumps, and rails.

“In ski-snowboard culture, we call it ‘dropping first,'” Leeds said. “Will would always try to inspire athletes to go for things that he knew they could do, but he didn’t know they could do yet.”

He said Scheren was focused on holistic growth and development of his teams’ members.

“Will really invested into the athletes,” Leeds said. “They were more than just athletes on a roster to him. They were friends. He cared about where people were going and what their goals were, and I think that’s what made him such a good coach. He is one of the most generous, hospitable people that I know. He will literally go out of his way to do anything for anyone.”

Scheren said that is how he has felt treated by everyone in the Club Sports administration.

“Liberty’s Club Sports department is a world-class (organization),” he said, referring to its growth as a 40-plus-sport athletic program over the past dozen years as “phenomenal.” “Man, has this program taken off. With facilities, medical care, logistics support, and exceptional coaching, LU Club Sports has made this program an asset to Liberty that is capable of drawing exceptional student-athletes.”

>> Read individual profiles on Frackleton, Scheren, and Thompson on the Club Sports team pages.