Top scorer, spiritual leader on Flames Hockey team earns bachelor’s, master’s in four years

Considering all that Liberty University graduate Jackson Vercellono has done over the past four years on Liberty Mountain, particularly at the LaHaye Ice Center and the School of Business, may leave one exhausted.

Vercellono, this year’s leading scorer on the Flames ACHA Division I men’s hockey team, walked across the graduation stage last week to receive his MBA. He earned his B.S. in Accounting at Liberty in just two years in May 2023.

Just this past academic year, Vercellono helped shepherd the Disciple Makers on the Flames’ Division I and II teams while serving as a graduate assistant in the Club Sports Holistic Development office and as an area representative for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Hockey, now headquartered in Lynchburg. He also worked part time for a local accounting firm and became a father. Vercellono and his wife, Madison (’23), have a 10-month-old son, Jasper.

“I just worked really hard,” Vercellono said. “There was a lot going on these past four years. My wife carried a lot of the weight and was an amazing support, along with amazing friends who were there for me, my family, just the people around me who made it all possible.”

“Jackson gets the most out of life,” Flames Division I men’s hockey outgoing Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger said, noting that extends from the hockey arena to the classroom, his family, and workplace. “Jackson brings an attitude of joy wherever he goes and whenever he’s doing things he loves. His joy is a reflection of his faith, but also a reflection of the person God has made him to be. In the locker room, he’s the type of person who rallies guys, encourages them, keeps things light when there’s a need for a lighter environment, yet he’s still serious and focused on getting the job done.”

Vercellono said the spiritual culture at Liberty drew him to campus, and he helped to enhance that, especially in his various roles with the hockey program, including as a Disciple Maker for all four years on the Division I team.

“I came here for the faith and having that integrated into everything I did while I was there was the biggest blessing and what I hope to continue to do, integrating faith into my career and my family,” he said, noting he and his wife regularly welcomed Flames teammates over for food and fellowship. “Having Bible studies at my house was an awesome way to show all of the young men on our team what a godly marriage and a godly household looks like.”

With everything else on his plate, Vercellono still managed to excel for the Flames on the ice, ranking first on the team in scoring this past season with 18 goals and 18 assists to be awarded Forward of the Year honors. He ranked third in 2022-23 (11G, 20A) and 2023-24 (7G, 16A) and fourth as a rookie in 2021-22 (10G, 16A) to total 46 goals and 70 assists (116 points) for his career.

“I can’t say enough about that guy, with all the things he’s got going on, as a husband, father, with work, and as a graduate student, he comes focused and comes ready to play and finds the back of the net for us,” Club Sports Director of Athletics and DI men’s hockey Head Coach Kirk Handy said after Vercellono netted a hat trick in a fall semester-ending home sweep of Drexel University.

“I am thankful that I got to have an amazing team to play with, and an amazing hockey career,” Vercellono said. “The impact that Liberty had on me … it has been a huge blessing to come here. I got a wife, we have a kid, we found a house, and I got a job. I am adulting now, but I am excited to go back and watch the games next season.”

Vercellono is now an associate accountant providing tax and audit services at Brown Edwards in downtown Lynchburg.

Before helping the Flames advance to their third ACHA DI Final Four in five seasons this past March in St. Louis, Vercellono counseled and discipled dozens of players on campus and online, leading a weekly Bible study remotely with FCA Hockey players now in the Juniors ranks, which is where he played before Liberty.

“He’s been an incredible asset to our ministry, with his professionalism, his discipleship, and his heart for the Lord,” said FCA Hockey Director Rick Randazzo, who met Vercellono when he was 14. “He’s 24 now, been with us for 10 years, lived at my house for months on end, for summers, and he has traveled and played and coached with me. He’s like another son of mine. He’s a servant, and he wants to give back to make sure other players are impacted spiritually as well.”

On the Flames’ trip to Finland in January 2024, Vercellono shared his testimony in church and played a key role in establishing the team culture that led to several players getting baptized.

“Jackson’s No. 1 trait is that he is very humble, and he’s a hard worker, and we saw that in the hockey rink and in the office,” Club Sports Associate Athletic Director of Holistic Development Reese Braband said. “He’s reliable, he’s great relationally in interacting with the students, and did a good job of engaging with the Disciple Maker community and being a great friend and encouragement to them.”