# Pensacola Christian Eagles

The Pensacola Christian Eagles are the athletic teams of Pensacola Christian College, located in the Brent area of Pensacola, Florida. The Eagles are members of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), competing in Division II of the South Division. Athletic teams include: men's basketball (1977), women's basketball (2008), volleyball (1994), and men's soccer (2016). The Eagles have won ten national championships throughout their history: eight in the NCCAA and two in the NCWA. Former sports include men's wrestling (1991–2006) and baseball (early-1980s). Their rival is Bob Jones University.

## Programs
### Men's basketball

Men's basketball was the first athletic program to compete at Pensacola Christian College. The program first competed during the 1977-78 basketball season, going 12-10 and coached by Del Wubbena. Men's basketball was part of the Orange Belt Christian Conference (OBCC) of the NCCAA from the 1980s until the early-1990s, winning the in-season tournament multiple times. The Eagles played their home games at the Pensacola Christian High School gymnasium from 1977 to 1980 as Pensacola Christian College had yet to have their own facility. January 30, 1981 marked the Eagles' first game in their new field house, known as the John Ray Hall Field House, as they defeated Atlanta Christian College 106–85. They would play at the 2,000-seat Hall Field House until 1993 when they moved to the much larger and more spacious Arlin R. Horton Sports Center.
The Eagles did not make their first NCCAA National Tournament until 1998. They later competed in the national tournament in 2014 and 2016 as a Division II institution.
Men's Basketball National Tournament History :
| Year | Tournament | Finish (record) |
| 1998 | NCCAA Division I National Tournament | 6th (1–2) |
| 2014 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | DNP (1–2) |
| 2016 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 5th (3–1) |

### Women's basketball

Women's basketball is a fairly new program at PCC, arriving at the college in 2008. The program started to experience success in the mid-2010s, first making the NCCAA national championship in 2014 and making the tournament every season since. The Lady Eagles were NCCAA Division II national champions in 2022.
Women's Basketball National Tournament History :
| Year | Tournament | Finish (record) |
| 2014 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | N/A (1–2) |
| 2015 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | N/A (1–2) |
| 2016 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 6th (1–2) |
| 2017 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | DNP (1-1) |
| 2018 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 3rd (1-1) |
| 2019 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 2nd (1-1) |
| 2020 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | (1–0)/COVID-19 |
| 2021 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 3rd (2–1) |
| 2022 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | Champions (3–0) |
| 2023 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 4th (1–2) |
| 2024 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 3rd (2–1) |
| 2025 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | 4th (1–2) |

### Men's soccer

Men's soccer is PCC's newest sport, returning to Pensacola Christian in the fall of 2016 for the first time since the 1980s. Evidence of a former men's intercollegiate soccer team dates back to at least 1981; the team went 5-5-2 that season. Men's soccer has won the NCCAA Division II national championship three times, most recently in 2023.
Men's Soccer National Tournament History :
| Year | Tournament | Finish (record) |
| 2017 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | Champions (3–0) |
| 2018 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | DNP (1-1) |
| 2019 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | Champions (3–0) |
| 2020 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | Runner-up (1–1–1) |
| 2023 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | Champions (3–0) |

### Volleyball

Volleyball was the first women's intercollegiate sport at Pensacola Christian College, first played in 1994. The Lady Eagles have made the NCCAA National Tournament seven times in program history: twice in Division I and five times in Division II. Their 2021 appearance marked the first time the Lady Eagles advanced past the pool stage of the tournament before they were eliminated in the semifinal round by Johnson University (TN).
Volleyball National Tournament History :
| Year | Tournament | Finish (record) |
| 2002 | NCCAA Division I National Tournament | DNP (1–3) |
| 2009 | NCCAA Division I National Tournament | DNP (0–4) |
| 2014 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | DNP (1–3) |
| 2015 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | DNP (2-2) |
| 2020 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | DNP (0–2) |
| 2021 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | Semifinals (2-2) |
| 2024 | NCCAA Division II National Tournament | DNP (2-2) |

### Former sports

Former "heritage" sports at Pensacola Christian College include baseball and men's wrestling.
Baseball was a short-lived sport at PCC, played from 1981 until around 1983. Pensacola Christian and Alabama Christian (now Faulkner University) played an extremely unconventional triple-header on April 10, 1982, in which the Eagles lost all three games and were outscored 30–6, allowing a total of twenty stolen bases in games consisting of five, seven, and six innings, respectively.

#### Men's wrestling

Men's wrestling was a sport at Pensacola Christian from 1991 until 2006, competing in the NCCAA from 1991 to 1998 and in the NCWA from 1998 to 2006. The Eagles' first wrestling matchup was a loss to Florida State at PCC on November 23, 1991. As of the 2004–05 season, Pensacola Christian was the only varsity intercollegiate men's wrestling program in the state of Florida (all others, including other NCWA programs, were club sports). Sixty-seven Eagles were named All-Americans throughout the program's history: 28 in the NCCAA and 39 in the NCWA. While in the NCWA, PCC won two Most Outstanding Wrestler awards and had nine national champions. Men's wrestling was coached by hall of fame wrestler Jim Hazewinkel from 1991 to 2006. Dave Hazewinkel, Jim's twin, was briefly Pensacola Christian's co-coach as of 2004.
| Year | Coach | Accolades |
| 1991-92 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCCAA Championship 4th Place 1 All-American |
| 1992-93 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCCAA Championship 3rd Place 3 All-Americans Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year |
| 1993-94 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCCAA Champions 5 All-Americans Outstanding Wrestler Award Recipient Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year |
| 1994-95 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCCAA Champions 4 All-Americans Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year PCC Invitational Champions |
| 1995-96 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCCAA Champions 7 All-Americans Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year PCC Invitational Champions |
| 1996-97 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCCAA Championship 2nd Place 4 All-Americans PCC Invitational Champions |
| 1997-98 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCCAA Champions 4 All-Americans 1 At-Large All-American Ben Peterson Christian Sportsmanship Award Recipient Jim Hazewinkel NCCAA Coach of the Year |
| 1998-99 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCWA Champions NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions |
| 1999-00 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCWA Champions NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Coach of the Year |
| 2000-01 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCWA Championship 3rd Place NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions |
| 2001-02 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCWA Championship 5th Place NCWA Southeastern Conference Tournament Champions Jim Hazewinkel NCWA Coach of the Year |
| 2002-03 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCWA Championship 5th Place |
| 2003-04 | Jim Hazewinkel | |
| 2004-05 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCWA Championship 8th Place |
| 2005-06 | Jim Hazewinkel | NCWA Championship 3rd Place NCWA Southeast Conference Tournament Champions |
Sources:

## Facilities

The Arlin R. Horton Sports Center is the home arena for the basketball and volleyball programs. It opened in 1993, and, along with the 3,199-seat arena, includes an ice-skating rink, a bowling alley, a rock climbing wall, racquetball rooms, a waterpark with a FlowRider, and an inline skating rink, among other amenities.
Eagle Field is home to men's soccer and also serves as an athletic field for collegian soccer. It seats nearly 1,500 in the bleacher section. Eagle Field is also home to the famous Turkey Bowl: the coveted collegian soccer championship games for men's and women's collegians. Eagle Field was formerly College Field prior to the start of the intercollegiate men's soccer team in 2016.

## Competition and rivalries

Pensacola Christian's de facto rival is Bob Jones University. The rivalry has been in place ever since the Bob Jones Bruins began an intercollegiate athletics department in 2012. The Eagles are also rivals with Trinity Baptist College. Former rivals include Clearwater Christian College, Concordia College Alabama, and Tennessee Temple University.

## Notable athletes

* John Libka (2009), played men's basketball from 2005-2009. Current MLB umpire.
* Steven Guinchard (did not graduate from PCC), played men's basketball from 2012-2013. Taiwanese-French professional basketball player for the Hong Kong Eastern basketball club.