(This article originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of The ECHO Magazine.)

• Two-time United East Conference Men’s Golf All-Conference First Team
• 2023 United East Men’s Golf Rookie of the Year
• 2024 United East Men’s Volleyball Offensive Player of the Year

This is just some of the hardware Jake Rotelle (’25) has acquired in just over two years as a student-athlete at Lancaster Bible College.

Even more impressive than his early accomplishments is the fact that Rotelle only started playing organized sports when he arrived on LBC’s campus—the first time learning a rotation on the volleyball court, the first time being a part of a golf team and the first time playing over several games in a season.

Rotelle came to LBC from Terre Hill Mennonite High School in Terre Hill, Pa., to study Business Administration and dip his hand into organized sports. Originally looking to play only volleyball, Rotelle joined the early-blooming golf team late in his freshman year, and the rest is history. Rotelle is a Chargers record-holder in golf and a two-time All-Conference member—not to mention that Rotelle and the men’s volleyball team are the reigning United East Conference Champions, winning in 2023 and 2024.

How do the two fit together, you might ask? “The transition has been easy, and there haven’t been any overlaps in the schedule up to this point,” noted Rotelle. “Golf has felt more like a hobby than anything else. It allows me to relax and get my mind off things.”

Golf has taken Rotelle further than he ever imagined. One highlight happened this summer when he won the Honey Brook Golf Club Championship, his home course, with scores of 65 and 63. In another local summer tournament, the LANCO Open at the Conestoga Country Club, Rotelle shot a 68 and finished just shy of another championship, falling on the first playoff hole.

Whether golf or men’s volleyball, Rotelle didn’t expect any early success, let alone in two separate sports. “I thought if anything was going to happen, it was going to take a bit of time,” said Rotelle. “I definitely didn’t think it would’ve been this early on, but I am extremely grateful for all of it.”

After another solid showing this fall, Rotelle and the men’s golf team will pursue their first United East Championship this spring, but not before Rotelle steps on the court this winter to defend the Chargers’ conference title.

While Rotelle has continued to excel on the course and the court, he was quick to bring it back to the platform God has given him.

“My dad always said whatever we do, we have to do it at 110% because it’s giving God glory. He instilled a work ethic that glorifies Christ by giving our best at a young age, and I’ve carried it with me since.”