Leo Sayles continues legacy with Wolverines
GROVE CITY, Pa. (BVM) — Coaching success is often measured by wins and losses. But for Grove City College’s women’s head volleyball coach Leo Sayles, it’s all about culture.
Coach Sayles has coached a variety of sports at a variety of different levels for several years. He began his collegiate head coaching career in 2004 at Bryan College in Tennessee, in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. While at Bryan, Sayles was named 2006 AAC Volleyball Coach of the Year. In 2009, his volleyball team made it to the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I National Championship Final Four. He recorded a 153-108 overall record throughout his time as the coach at Bryan.
Sayles would move on from Bryan to NCAA Division I Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina in 2011. At Gardner-Webb, Sayles would earn the program’s first victory over a major Division I program, defeating East Carolina in 2017. While at Gardner-Webb, he became the program’s leader for wins as head coach in the Division I era with 82 victories.
In 2018 however, Sayles made the decision to move on from Gardner-Webb to become head coach and Associate Athletic Director for Sports Ministry at Grove City College, a smaller Division III liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.
At Grove City, Sayles has a position, unlike his previous roles. This role allows him to work with and mentor other student-athletes beyond his home sport of volleyball. Not only is Sayles a head coach, but a spiritual mentor, an encouraging voice and organizer who seeks to build unity not just in volleyball but across all Grove City sports.
In 2019, Sayles talked about his vision for not only volleyball but the athletics department. He mentioned in a Grove City College athletics interview establishing the core values of faith, character and community as a priority for the department.
“We could be an outcome-oriented program where it’s all about the wins, but (instead) we are about doing things the right way,” Sayles said. “[Done] with excellence because as we do that we know that we are bringing glory to God.”
The volleyball class of 2020 experienced three different coaches in their four years at Grove City. Sayles’ immediate impact with the program is evident with the words of the athletes he has coached in his first year. In the 2019-2020 season, senior Emma Hartshorn spoke of the difference in the team with Sayles at the helm.
“Our new coaching staff has organized focused practices, has held our team to a higher standard, and has helped our team believe in ourselves again,” Hartshorn said. “Our leadership team met often to develop our values, vision, and goals for the year… I think what makes this team different this season is the culture we were able to build, which is Christ-centered and full of love.”
Coach’s foundational culture-first focus has paid off. By establishing a foundational base built on deep relationships formed among athletes and a vision that emphasizes faith, Sayles has helped build winning teams.
This last season amidst the pandemic, Grove City made it to the NCAA Division III President’s Athletic Conference Championship for its first time in 19 years.
Leo Sayles’ recipe for building a winning culture appears to be working in Grove City. His vision to challenge his student-athletes across all sports to become better leaders is becoming a reality.
Sayles will enter his fourth year as the head coach of the women’s volleyball team and associate athletic director for sport ministry at Grove City College and looks to further build onto the team’s success on and off the court.
