MORE THAN THE GAME

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July 17, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

It is impossible to talk about Notre Dame Prep's athletic program without bringing up faith and the school mission.

The 2024–2025 school year will be remembered not only as one of the most decorated seasons in Notre Dame Prep’s storied athletic history, but also as a compelling testament to how athletics, faith, academics and citizenship form the seamless fabric of student life. 

With five MHSAA state championships this year, a national title in jazz dance, and a community of more than 150 coaches mentoring hundreds of athletes from grades 5 through 12, the success of NDP athletics is rooted in far more than wins and losses.

At Notre Dame Prep, sports are a mission field. Fields, courts, gyms and locker rooms become classrooms where virtue is shaped, faith is practiced and lifelong lessons are learned.

A legacy anchored in mission

Since its founding in 1994, Notre Dame Prep has carried forward the spirit of its heritage schools — Notre Dame High School, Pontiac Catholic, and others — all of which had rich athletic traditions. Yet the school’s mission remains the unifying heartbeat: to form Christian people, upright citizens and academic scholars.

Few have lived that mission more fully than longtime athletic director, coach and educator Betty Wroubel.

“When you think about Notre Dame Prep athletics, Betty Wroubel is the first name that comes to mind,” said Aaron Crouse, NDP's associate athletic director. “She has always demonstrated a commitment to providing the best possible athletic experience for all — student-athletes, coaches, parents — and does so selflessly, always putting the mission first.”

Head of School Andy Guest agrees: “Betty is the epitome of a team player, a dedicated servant to our Catholic and Marist mission, and a good friend. Her leadership is the foundation of everything we do in athletics.”

Coaches as missionaries

Notre Dame’s coaching staff is more than a collection of experts in Xs and Os. They are mission-centric mentors.

“When we hire coaches, our primary concern is, ‘Are they mission-centric?’” said AD Wroubel. “We challenge our coaches to go beyond the technical skills and infuse faith and virtue into all they do.”

From the lower school’s intramurals to varsity championships, coaches are expected to model the same moral and spiritual leadership that NDP's faculty provides in the classroom.

Cross-country coach and first-grade teacher Kimberly Kriesel begins each practice with student-led prayer. “We have student chaplains who lead the team in prayer and intentions,” she said. “We call on Mary, Seat of Wisdom and St. Sebastian to pray for us. It keeps God front and center.”

This ethos carries through to retreats, team huddles and community service. “Whether Catholic or not, our athletes engage in powerful spiritual conversations. It builds trust and bonds that last far beyond the finish line,” Kriesel added.

Living the mission on every field

Notre Dame Prep’s athletic achievements are remarkable, including being recognized as Michigan's Exemplary Athletic Program a number of years ago, the first private or Catholic school in the state’s history to earn this honor. In the 2024–25 school year alone, in addition to the state titles:

• 78% of upper school students and 84% of middle school students participated in sports.
• NDP teams competed in more than 1,000 competitions.
• 27 individuals/relay teams earned first team all state honors.
• The school fielded 44 high school teams and 25 middle school teams.
• 88 student-athletes earned academic all-state honors.

But it’s the way these achievements are earned that defines the program.

“Our coaches are not only building strong teams but strong people,” said Crouse. “Each season, we ask coaches to reflect: ‘What does the mission mean to you as a coach, and how does it show up in your program?’ That alignment is what drives us.”

That commitment also shows up in unexpected places. Strength and conditioning coach Christian Polega integrates prayer into daily weight room sessions. “At the end of every workout, we circle up and thank God. We share intentions and keep Christ at the center of everything,” he said.

Polega, whose background includes stints in professional baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers, brought his high-level training methods to NDP in 2019. But it's his faith-driven philosophy that makes him a perfect fit. 

“It’s not just about athletic preparation — it’s about shaping student-athletes who lead, serve, and grow in all aspects of life,” Polega said.

Safety, care and character

Behind the scenes, athletic trainer Chris Polsinelli quietly but powerfully contributes to the mission. For more than two decades, he has been the school’s guardian of student-athlete health and well-being — physically, mentally and spiritually.

“I use our school’s mission as a guideline for all my interactions,” said Polsinelli. “It’s not just tape and ice bags. I’m here to earn trust, support student growth, and ensure they know they’re cared for — on and off the field.”

That care extends to mental health, faith conversations and promoting long-term habits of fitness and service. It’s a model of what Wroubel once described as “setting the gold standard for safety and mission-driven programming.”

A culture of faith-first competition

At Notre Dame Prep, you’ll find competitive excellence across every sport — but not at the cost of faith.

Coach and counselor Jason Whalen describes it best: “After many of our football games, we invite our opponents to join us in prayer — win or lose. It's a reminder of who we are and what matters.”

The football team, for instance, starts every game day with Mass. One tradition, the Caveman Cookout, brings dads and players together to share faith, food and the meaning of wearing the Irish jersey.

“It’s about relationships, mentorship and gratitude,” said Whalen. “We are developing men and women of character.”

That character was on display nationally a few years ago when a simple wrong number on a freshman basketball team group chat led to an impromptu FaceTime with NFL legends — including Tom Brady. Yet what made the moment extraordinary, said Whalen, was how the students responded: with humility, excitement and the realization that kindness, not celebrity, was the real lesson.

Athletics as formation

Director of Enrollment Management and longtime girls basketball coach Kathleen Offer sees athletics as essential to forming the whole person.

“When I am coaching, at the start of every week, we pick a virtue — resilience, bravery, trust — and make it our theme,” she said. “We pray on it. We practice it. We celebrate it.”

Offer, a former Division I athlete herself at Yale University, believes that faith formation on the court fosters deep personal growth. “We’re not just teaching basketball. We’re teaching life.”

Mark McGreevy, now-retired middle school religion teacher and veteran swim coach, agrees. “I can’t turn my Christianity off and on — it is permanently on display. Athletics is a tool. We teach leadership, humility perspective.”

His message to students: “You won’t be remembered for your stats. You’ll be remembered for who you become.”

An investment with eternal returns

Parents, too, see the transformational value of the program. Mark Mukhtar, father of three NDP alums and former president of the Athletics Booster Club, calls the school’s combination of faith, academics and athletics a priceless investment.

“Yes, tuition is a sacrifice,” Mukhtar said, “but it’s an investment in the whole child. Notre Dame Prep gives kids the tools for life — in the chapel, in the classroom and on the field.”

It’s also why the community rallies behind efforts like the $1 million renovation of the school’s ball fields — a gift that not only upgraded the facilities but celebrated the mission of nurturing student-athletes in the best possible environment.

Looking ahead: Building champions for life

As the 2024–25 year closed with championship banners flying and academic honors stacking up, Notre Dame Prep remains focused on its most important goal: forming Christ-centered leaders who compete with passion and integrity.

“Our student-athletes are achieving amazing things,” said Crouse. “But what’s most rewarding is seeing who they become — compassionate, driven, faith-filled young people who understand what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

From prayer circles before races to huddles that echo with encouragement, Notre Dame’s athletic fields are sacred ground — not just for competition, but for formation.

And that’s the real victory, says Crouse.

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.