Bridget Wunderly, a Marymount University senior, has received the Catholic Athletes for Christ Award in recognition of her athletics, service and work with the school\u0092s campus ministry.<\/p>\n
Formed in 2005, Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC) is a national organization that works with church leadership and Catholic organizations. It ministers to athletes, coaches and staff and organizes conferences, pilgrimages, retreats and days of reflection.<\/p>\n
Wunderly, the daughter of John and Dottie Wunderly of Manassas, is a varsity swimmer, leads two Bible study groups, serves on the campus ministry\u0092s leadership team and has volunteered on a variety of service initiatives, including feeding the D.C.-area homeless and going on alternative spring breaks to Michigan and Jamaica.<\/p>\n
\u0093The award gives me confidence in what I\u0092m doing as an athlete and a woman of faith,\u0094 said Wunderly, a senior accounting and finance major.<\/p>\n
Father Brian Bashista, chaplain and director of MU\u0092s Campus Ministry Association, called her a \u0093quiet, reserved servant leader.\u0094<\/p>\n
\u0093She doesn\u0092t like to draw attention to herself but loves to draw attention to the faith and to the faith of others,\u0094 Bashista said.<\/p>\n
\u0093She\u0092s very humble,\u0094 added Ashton Mallon, assistant director of campus ministry. \u0093People look to her. She\u0092s very authentic in the way she lives her life and is constant and dependable. She doesn\u0092t come across as judgmental or preachy, but she\u0092s not to going to shy away from living her faith.\u0094<\/p>\n
Wunderly is grateful for her experience at Marymount.<\/p>\n
\u0093I\u0092ve met a lot of different people, learned about different cultures and traveled,\u0094 she said. \u0093I\u0092ve grown in my school work, grown in my faith and grown all around as a person.\u0094<\/p>\n
A competitive swimmer since age 8, she currently swims the 100 and 200m butterfly and mid-distance freestyle.<\/p>\n
Her future goals are also service driven.<\/p>\n
\u0093I want to do something where I can see myself making a difference, whether that\u0092s working for a small accounting firm or working with a nonprofit,\u0094 she said. \u0093Service is a big part of who I am.\u0094<\/p>\n
This is the first year CAC honored student athletes from Marymount University and Christendom College, which are both within the Diocese of Arlington.<\/p>\n
The awards event was held Oct. 21 at the Top of the Town reception and conference center in Rosslyn. In addition to her parents, Bashista and Mallon, others attending from the Marymount family included: President Matthew D. Shank and First Lady Lynne Shank; Director of Athletics Debra Warren; Director of Athletics Advancement Jamie Reynolds and her husband, Men\u0092s Lacrosse Coach Jon Reynolds; Vice President for Student Development Linda McMurdock; Father Bashista\u0092s parents, John and Aileen Bashista; and Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Christa McMahon.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bridget Wunderly, a Marymount University senior, has received the Catholic Athletes for Christ Award in recognition of her athletics, service and work with the school\u0092s campus ministry. Formed in 2005, Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC) is a national organization that works with church leadership and Catholic organizations. It ministers to athletes, coaches and staff and […]<\/p>\n