Take a look at Lee Athletics and what do you see? If you are a fan or have even been to any number of games, you have probably seen what I have seen: success. I see talented players, committed coaches and an overall confidence that exists across every sport.

So what is missing? When I arrived at Lee three years ago, I was surprised to hear that Lee had never won a national championship. Several teams have made the trip to national tournaments, but not a single team has gotten over the hump.

Last year, in my opinion, is the very best example of this trend. The 2007-2008 season saw Lee win seven conference championships. The university is no stranger to individual honors either, earning 12 All-American awards throughout various sports.

Taking a closer look, we find the Lee basketball teams. Coach Marty Rowe was hired in 2004 to coach the women’s basketball team. He has taken the team to the NAIA Tournament all four seasons of his tenure, the best of those being last season with a trip to the Sweet 16.

“We have a chance to be very good again, but time will tell how good we can actually be,” said Rowe. “We lost two All-Americans and several other good players but we expect other players to step up and lead this team.”

The Lady Flames certainly appear to be a program continuing to improve, much like the men’s team, led by Coach Tommy Brown.

The Flames posted an even more impressive season in 2007-2008, earning an incredible record of 33-2. The second loss came in the Elite Eight at the NAIA National Tournament at the hands of two-time defending champion Oklahoma City University.

Undoubtedly, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are not only talented, but improving year by year. It is only a matter of time before either of these programs will be competing for the championship.

There is not enough space in this article to cover every one of the sports teams that is competing on a national level, but the baseball team is impossible to ignore.

Four years ago, the Lee University baseball team had never reached the NAIA World Series. Baseball is the most difficult sport in the NAIA to qualify for nationals. However, in 2005, with Hall of Fame Coach David Altopp leading the team, the Flames made their first appearance in Lewiston, Idaho. The team was eliminated early on but they had the taste in their mouth.

One year later, Altopp handed over responsibility to a new coach, Mark Brew. In Brew’s first two seasons as head coach, Lee has fought their way further and further into the World Series. The most impressive performance, and the most painful, came this past May. Working all the way through the winner’s bracket, the Flames had two opportunities to win the national championship, falling just short.

“Immediately after the game the feeling was very tough to deal with,” said Brew. “Your team works so hard all year for a common goal and you come up one out short.”

Though the loss was painful, a performance of that caliber cannot go unnoticed by the rest of the country.

“We gained a tremendous amount of respect on the national scene and it has given us a tremendous boost with recruiting,” said Brew about the positives of last year’s accomplishments.

With the baseball team returning a large portion of the talent from last year’s team, expectations will be high this spring. Again, it seems certain that a number of the Lee athletic teams will compete for the ultimate goal of a national championship this year.

“The time is coming soon that a team at Lee University wins a national championship. We have too many quality programs with quality coaches and the administrative support is incredible,” said Brew.