ST. LOUIS, Mo. – There are more than 400 student groups at Washington University in St. Louis and more than 500 Scholar-Champions who participate in intercollegiate athletics.
 
Of those 400 student groups, there are more than 13 a capella groups to choose from on the Danforth Campus. Among the Bears' Scholar-Champions, there are four who participate in their chosen sport and belong to a capella groups.
 
Sophomore Lucinda Laughlin (cross country, track and field) belongs to the Evergreens; first-year Jackson Heether (men's swimming and diving) is a member of After Dark; sophomore Brody Schrepfer (men's swimming and diving) belongs to the Mosaic Whispers; and junior Spencer Snipe (football) belongs to Unending Praise.
 
Whether they were in an a capella group in high school or grew up musically inclined and looking for a creative outlet, these Bears agree that picking a Division III school in WashU allows them to fulfill many parts of their identity in addition to competing in the sport they love.
 
Competing in Division III
"What makes DIII not just viable but really special, is that you're allowed and encouraged to do these things," said Schrepfer. "You don't have to be this employee on a swim team 24/7 and that's why I chose DIII. You can be surrounded by really amazing, talented Division I-caliber

athletes in an environment where you're also able to do other things that make you whoever you are."
 
"Division III offers that unique balance of being able to do both things," added Laughlin. "I think that keeps me very calm so I'm not only thinking about running or about school, but I have another outlet too."
 
"It's part of the reason I chose WashU and Division III, because of the ability to do different things, branch out and build a resume," said Snipe. "I want to branch out and not be one dimensional, I like to be a Renaissance man and that's very doable here and I'm so grateful for that."
 
"It means the world to me," said Heether of swimming and singing a capella. "When I was coming into college, I knew there were other things I wanted to pursue on top of swimming. At a Division I school, that probably wouldn't be a possibility, but WashU has an environment where this is allowed and encouraged to happen and I really appreciate that. When I look back on my time in college when I graduate, I want to be able to look back and say I wasn't just a swimmer, I could also do a capella and other clubs, having something outside of swimming to express myself and do something artistic."
 
Lucinda Laughlin

Laughlin grew up singing with her mom and had music instilled in her from a young age. In grade school, she joined a choir and then joined an a capella group in high school and really loved the community she found.
 
After not pursuing a capella as a first-year, Laughlin committed to trying out for a group as a sophomore with no expectations of being accepted, but with the desire to push herself out of her comfort zone. As it turns out, Laughlin made it into her first-choice group, the Evergreens.
 
The Evergreens is a all-female group, which Laughlin gravitated towards.
 
"It's all women, I think that's really impactful and powerful," said Laughlin. "They're all very powerful and outspoken and grounded women. I could really tell that when I walked into the room. The energy they had when they were singing together and how happy they looked was something I wanted to be a part of. Now that I'm in it, those things are more true that I even expected. They're really wonderful people."
 
This year, Laughlin was the top runner for the WashU women's cross country team. She claimed the Midwest Regional title and finished 16^th nationally to earn All-America honors. Additionally, Laughlin was named USTFCCCA All-Midwest Region Athlete of the Year, earned All-Midwest Region honors and First Team All-UAA honors.
 
Spencer Snipe
Snipe decided to audition for Unending Praise when he heard them sing at the Black Convocation early in his time at WashU. Unending Praise gives him the ability to combine his love for singing with his Christian faith.
 
In joining this Christian-based group, Snipe has found community in being around similar individuals coming together to praise and sing. "It fills my spiritual bucket," said Snipe.
 
Additionally, Snipe and some of his WashU football teammates, along with Head Sports Performance Coach Terry O'Neill have talked about starting their own football a capella group. "That's still in the works," added Snipe. (Editor's note: We are all eagerly waiting for that group to form!)
 
Snipe, who is involved in many facets of campus life at WashU, enjoys immersing himself among so many different types of people that he meets along the way.

 
"I'm a big fan of getting the most out of a place like WashU," said Snipe. "You want to be able to meet a diverse array of people, whether that's academically or in your extracurriculars. I think it's important you make the most out of a place like this because you won't always be at a place where people are from so many different parts of the country."
 
Snipe, a linebacker, will be one of the leaders of the Bears in 2026 as they navigate the transition into a new conference, the NCAC.

This Saturday, Unending Praise will be singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at men's basketball at 1 p.m. and women's basketball at 3 p.m. as part of the Black History Month game.
 
Brody Schrepfer
Schrepfer, who transferred into WashU this academic year from Wesleyan, was walking through the activity fair and members of various a capella groups came up to him and on a whim, decided to audition for his current group, the Mosaic Whispers. Recently, Schrepfer and the Mosaic Whispers backed WashU alum Kitti Taye on her viral American Idol audition in Nashville.
 
Schrepfer and Heether, who both attended the Gilman School for high school, sang for the same a capella group and swam on the same swim team, but with an age gap, weren't too close until both came to WashU this year.
 
After transferring into WashU, Schrepfer decided to take advantage of all the things that WashU has to offer. Prior to his move to St. Louis, he found himself missing a city and a bigger population of people.
 
"Me from last year would not believe what's happening," said Schrepfer. "I've made so many more friendships, I've met different people who are different from me. I'm reconnecting with a big part of my personality, my identity."
 
Schrepfer is one of the top breaststrokers for WashU this season and was on the 400 medley relay team that hit an NCAA B cut.
 

Jackson Heether
Heether attended the activity fair earlier this year and immediately saw all the options for a capella available. Seeing the community of outgoing, friendly people, he decided that it was something he was interested in continuing and ultimately ended up attending auditions and enjoying the tight-knit community of After Dark.
 
As a student, a swimmer on a nationally-ranked team and a member of After Dark, Heether has quickly gotten into the groove of balancing his time to make sure he is giving what he needs and wants to all facets of his life.
 
"It can be a struggle sometimes for sure," said Heether. "You're trying to balance rehearsal and then go right into practices and on top of that, you're a student first,  you've got to get your work done. Doing all this has allowed me to build a really good foundation for time management. Finding time in the middle of your day in between classes to do work, making sure you're making the most out of the small time that you have to do work is really important for me. My big thing was taking advantage of those smaller moments and making the most of them where I can."
 
Heether is part of the 400 freestyle relay team that hit an NCAA B cut this season and he has the top time for WashU in the 100 freestyle.
 
Support From Athletics and A Capella
WashU student-athletes have "Bears Supporting Bears" meaning teams all go and support each other at their various sporting events. But that support stretches beyond athletics and these a capella singers have found support from their teammates as they pursue their art.
 
"Everyone's so supportive," said Heether. "They always want to come out and watch my group sing. It's a really great feeling to have because you wouldn't necessarily expect a lot of overlap in those areas. So people being interested in what you're doing outside of your sport or what you're doing outside of your a capella group, it really means a lot to me."
 
"I feel like it's a testament to the people at WashU," said Laughlin. "They're very kind and wonderful and they really, really want to support and help. Especially in athletics, a big part of it is cheering for you and being so excited about your accomplishments. And my a capella friends have said they want to watch me at a meet, it's really cool to have crossover."
 
"WashU is special because of those interlacing connections and a lot of places you probably wouldn't get the same support at your a capella concerts that I get from the swim team," said Schrepfer.
 
"A couple of guys (on the football team) always come see my concert every semester," said Snipe. "It's so supportive."
 
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