Messiah alum Kevin Dennstaedt inducted to Athletic Hall of Honor
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sports teach us how to play fairly, how to work together as a team, even discipline, respect, or how to lose respectfully. Many lifelong friendships are started on the field, court, or gym. For centuries players often look to past teams for inspiration and direction. This is the goal of any hall of fame, or in this case, Messiah University鈥檚 Athletic Hall of Honor.
鈥淓stablished in 1995, the Messiah University Athletics Hall of Honor recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in athletics while representing the Falcons. Former student-athletes, coaches, and staff/personnel members are eligible for nomination and induction.鈥�
This year, local Messiah graduate, Kevin Dennstaedt, a former Falcons lacrosse player is one of 7 inductees. 鈥淵ou know, I was surprised when I found out,鈥� explained Dennstaedt. 鈥淭he lacrosse program isn鈥檛 as storied as some of the other programs, like soccer or field hockey. It was so cool to get nominated.鈥�
To be nominated, MU states, that an athlete must have or had, 鈥渁thletic ability and accomplishments, awards and recognitions, sportsmanship, Christian service, and outstanding contributions to Messiah Athletics.鈥�
Dennstaedt doesn鈥檛 lack in any of those areas.
As a lacrosse player, Kevin was a 2-year team captain, a four-time First Team All-Conference player, as well as a member of the MAC All-Century Men’s Lacrosse Team (2012). He also earned an Honorable Mention for the USILA Division III Honorable Mention All-American Lacrosse Team (2004).
Dennstaedt and his team took home the first two Conference Championships in 2001 and 2004. He is recorded with 306 ground balls (third), 323 face off wins (sixth), and a .573 face off percentage (ninth) in, stats just from his senior year. He finished his overall career with 183 points (fifth), 125 goals (fifth), and 58 assists (10th) and still holds the top-10 marks in the program’s history.
Since then, Dennstaedt has worked on giving back to his alma mater by coaching, assisting, and mentoring subsequent lacrosse teams. Currently, he is coaching his son’s lacrosse club team located in Northern York.
In looking back at his time at Messiah, Kevin has a lot of great friends and memories that have shaped his life to this day. 鈥淢essiah certainly has a warm place in my heart with all sorts of good memories. First of all, I met my wife there! And she certainly was instrumental in passing classes as she made me study!鈥�
He continues, 鈥淚 remember when I was a freshman, we had a big senior class on our team. They were super helpful in mentoring and coaching us – not just with lacrosse but also with life things. I even remember our one friend, John Dennis. He would show up every Sunday morning at my dorm. He would wake us up for church. You know what, to this day, I still talk to him.鈥�
This brings us to another quality that Messiah looks for when choosing an inductee, Christian service.聽 鈥淢y faith is so fundamental. I see a team as a microcosm of what we are supposed to be as Christ followers. You all have one goal and as a team, you are united in that goal. That was what our team was really about. We were able to have that bond and know that we were all there for the same purpose. We were there because we love Jesus, we love lacrosse and we want to play for His glory. We weren鈥檛 always trying to play for stats or the most amazing goal. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, we wanted to win and all that. But we were really playing for each other, to try to lift each other up as a team. It was definitely such a special experience.鈥�
Today, Kevin works for a pharmaceutical company in the medical sales industry. He is married to his college sweetheart, Joanna, who also played lacrosse for Messiah and coaches girls’ lacrosse at West Shore Christian Academy in Shiremanstown, Pa. Together they have 4 children, Rose (16), Joy (14), Ella (12), and Grant (10).
Kevin fondly looks back on his time as a Falcon lacrosse player. 鈥淚 think playing for Messiah mostly impacted me on how I look at a team. For me, our team became a brotherhood. Even today, the five seniors I graduated with talk via text. 20 years of keeping up with each other. Even my head coach, Jerry Standford, who left a year after I graduated, became one of my friends. In fact, I just got to coach his son recently!鈥�
The bottom line is whether Dennstaedt is on or off the field, he will continue to seek out opportunities to share the lessons he learned on his college lacrosse team. As a Messiah Hall of Honor recipient, Dennstaedt now becomes one of those players that present and future students will look to for inspiration.
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