What Happens After the Final Whistle?

Two NAIA student-athletes show us that the offseason may be the most important season of all.

For most people, summer signals a chance to slow down. For NAIA student-athletes, it’s often the season when character is built.

The crowds disappear. The scoreboards go dark. Practice becomes workouts. Competition gives way to internships, jobs, service, recovery, and preparation for what’s next.

That’s where you’ll find student-athletes like Catie Reittinger, a rising senior track and field athlete at Mount Mercy (Iowa), and Luke Reger, a junior men’s lacrosse student-athlete at Benedictine (Kan.).

Their summers couldn’t look more different. Yet they’re driven by the same purpose.

When Catie crossed the finish line of her track season in early May, she didn’t slow down. She sped up.

Within days, she was helping run the Iowa High School Boys State Track & Field Championships, one of the largest sporting events in the state. From awards and event operations to ticketing and social media, she jumped in wherever she was needed. It was there, while helping create digital content, that something clicked.

“When I got to help create social media content and see one of my ideas come to life, it confirmed that I’m pursuing the right career.”

Less than a week later, she began a year-long internship as the Marketing and Communications Intern for Eastern Iowa Airport. Now she’s helping shape the airport’s brand through social media and storytelling while learning how to connect with an audience far broader than sports fans.

“Marketing allows me to create meaning behind every post and every piece of content I put out. I’ve learned to pour my passions into my work.”

Her summer doesn’t stop there. She’s continued serving as a social media intern for Mount Mercy, helping promote fitness training, building her own lifestyle content brand, and training for what she hopes will be the best track season of her career.

“It may sound like a lot to juggle, and at times it is. But when you’re passionate about what you’re doing and understand why you’re doing it, there’s nothing you can’t handle.”

For Catie, athletics didn’t just prepare her for internships. It prepared her for life.

“Being a student-athlete has made me the person I am today. I’ve learned how to lead, communicate, persevere, and find balance. Because of my experiences on the field and in the classroom, I’m confident I can tackle the real world.”

Luke Reger’s offseason has looked very different. After tearing his labrum during the lacrosse season, his summer hasn’t been focused on preparing for competition.

It’s been focused on preparing to return.

His days begin with a painting job at Creighton University, followed by physical therapy, then coaching a 10U lacrosse team. In between, he continues serving as a Media and Content Creation Intern for the Heart of America Athletic Conference (The Heart), helping create content that tells the stories of student-athletes across the conference.

Recovering from an injury while balancing multiple responsibilities hasn’t been easy. But it’s taught him lessons that reach far beyond lacrosse.

“Every day, I am focused on doing everything I can to recover so I will be ready to contribute to my team when the season begins. While the injury has been tough, it has taught me a lot about patience and the importance of making the most of every opportunity to grow.”

Working with The Heart has opened another door. Collaborating with professionals in conference communications has shown him what happens behind the scenes in college athletics while giving him hands-on experience in sports media. At the same time, coaching young athletes has reminded him why he fell in love with the game in the first place.

“Helping young athletes develop not only their lacrosse skills, but their confidence and love for the game has challenged me to become a better communicator and leader.”

Whether he’s creating content, coaching, or simply showing up every day to rehab an injury, Luke says the lessons learned as a student-athlete continue to shape everything he does.

“The same work ethic and attention to detail I’ve developed through athletics have carried over into every part of my life.”

Although their paths are different, Catie and Luke share something that defines so many NAIA student-athletes. They’re preparing for careers, serving others, developing leadership skills, and representing their institutions. They are becoming better people long before they become professionals.

Catie discovered that telling meaningful stories is her passion.

Luke discovered that leadership often looks like serving others, even when you’re sidelined.

One is building brands. One is building future athletes. Both are building character.

When asked what The Right Way To Play® means, Luke didn’t talk about wins or championships.

“It’s about giving your best effort at all times. Whether on the field or off the field, it’s important to lead by example with a good attitude, work ethic, and treating others the right way.”

Catie’s perspective echoes that same belief.

Whatever role she’s filling, student-athlete, intern, leader, content creator, or teammate, she approaches it with one simple philosophy:

“Whatever hat I’m wearing, I will do everything in my power to wear it well.”

That’s the story of the NAIA.

It’s not just about what happens during the season. It’s about who student-athletes become because of it.

Because The Right Way To Play® doesn’t end when the season does.

It continues in internships that launch careers.

In injuries that teach resilience.

In coaches who mentor the next generation.

In leaders who serve their campuses and communities.

And with student-athletes like Catie and Luke, who remind us that the most important work often happens long after the final whistle.