Bethany College Athletic Complex Locker Room to be Named in Honor of Dr. Joyce Pigge After Renovation

Lindsborg, KAN., April 25, 2022 – Bethany College has received a $100,000 anonymous gift to kick off the women’s locker room renovation. 

On April 4, 2022, Dr. Joyce Pigge and select members of the women’s athletic staff at Bethany College met to announce the honorific naming of the to-be-renovated women’s locker room in the Athletic Complex. The administration and board of directors would like to join the athletics staff in recognizing the significant contributions of Dr. Joyce Pigge to women’s athletics at Bethany College and the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference by naming the locker room -- The Dr. Joyce Pigge Women’s Locker Room.   

Everyone who has participated in a sport knows the sanctuary offered by the locker room. It is a place to prepare mentally for a competition, strategize with your coach, and relax with your teammates. The Women’s Locker Room was part of the original Hahn Gymnasium constructed in 1960. It serves an average of 1500 athletes annually including visiting teams.  The $200,000 renovation includes new flooring, lighting, lockers and more strategic use of the space. 

Dr. Pigge’s 50 years of service to Bethany College, the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC), and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) have been remarkable. She was the History/Political Science Department Chair, coordinated the social studies teaching major, and was the pre-law advisor. Dr. Pigge was the Bethany College Faculty Athletics Representative and the former Eligibility Chair for Midlands Collegiate Athletics Conference. She currently serves as the Eligibility Chair of the KCAC.  She also served as the treasurer of the KCAC and was a member of the NAIA District 10 executive committee and the National Executive Committee. 

Dr. Pigge founded and coached Bethany’s first women’s basketball program in the spring of 1970, started the volleyball program two years later, and coached softball for one season. From 1970 through 1973-1974, she led women’s intramurals with the assistance of the Women’s Intramural Council, created by her for this purpose. 

Dr. Pigge announced for Swedes volleyball, basketball, and football, and maintained the scorebook for volleyball and basketball. She received the Bethany College Teaching Award in 1991, the Bethany Distinguished Service Award in 2003, the Meredith Humphreys Teaching and Service to Students Award in 2006, and the NAIA Wally Schwartz Award as Faculty Athletics Representative of the Year in 2009. 

“The impact Dr. Joyce Pigge has had on women’s athletics, and athletics overall, at Bethany College is immeasurable. Her role in starting the volleyball and women’s basketball programs and coaching, to eligibility determinations, and both game day and administrative support, has paved the way for quality opportunities and support for female student-athletes. We are forever grateful for Dr. Pigge and her countless contributions over the past fifty-plus years, and we cannot think of a more appropriate way to honor her legacy than with the naming of this locker room.” Laura Moreno, Dean of Athletics and 2009 alumna. 

In 2015, Dr. Pigge was inducted in the NAIA Hall of Fame for Meritorious Service. She was awarded the KCAC Faculty Athletics Representative of the Year in both 2014-15, and 2016-17. She was also the recipient of the Meredith Humphreys Faculty Award at Bethany College in 2006 and 2020. 

“The Office of Advancement is overjoyed to announce a lead gift of $100,000 to kick-off this project. We are excited to offer the opportunity to ‘sponsor a locker’ in honor or memory of a special athlete or alumni at Bethany College.” Karissa Hoffman, Executive Director of Advancement and Alumni. If you want to be a part of this exciting renovation, make your donation at bethanylb.edu/locker-room. 

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to educate, develop, and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning, and service. At Bethany, students join a community of dedicated educators and caring mentors who walk alongside them as they discover, explore, and navigate the path to their purpose. Bethany College is online at bethanylb.edu and located in Lindsborg, Kansas, the fine arts and crafts capital of the state.