NOVUS Partners with Florida Gators Outfielder, Christina Wellen
Florida Gators Softball Player Joins the NOVUS Athlete Program
Who is Christina Wellen?
Christina Wellen’s journey to playing on the Florida Gators Softball team was no walk in the park. From an under-recruited high school player, Christina Wellen is now a feared speedster on the basepaths living out her dream as a Florida Gators outfielder.
Wellen has displayed an immense amount of perseverance throughout her softball career. She started playing softball in high school on the Seffner Christian Varsity Softball Team along with some travel ball teams. As the youngest of five siblings, Wellen was always playing up to keep up with her older siblings. At the age of 13, she was playing on an 18u travel team and soaking in every moment.
“Softball allows a lot of different types of girls and different types of athletes to fulfill very different roles on the team. You’re going to have girls who can run fast and get on base, girls who can hit bombs, girls who can run bases really well, girls who are really good defensively. That’s why I love softball,” said Wellen. “There are so many roles that are so critical to the team. Even if you’re in the dugout with a stopwatch, you’re still helping the program.
As a Florida native, with big academic dreams, Wellen always had her eyes on the University of Florida. However, playing softball as a Gator didn’t become a reality until well into her Sophomore year.
“I never thought about playing softball for UF until after I decided to attend as a student. It didn’t feel like a real goal. I was just like I’m going to be a student here. I also play softball. I also love the sport so much so I’m going to do whatever I can to get a tryout and see what happens,” said Wellen. “So I’m going to go until I get a no. That was my mentality going into the process of making the team.”
After emailing the Gators Softball Coach, as an incoming Freshman Wellen was told that they weren’t holding walk-on tryouts this year. Despite the rejection, she held out hope for next year and worked hard with her trainer to pursue her goal of playing ball. A year later, Wellen made the team as a walk-on Sophomore.
Softball & the Power of Perseverance
Wellen knew she made the team in the midst of finals week when she saw her name posted on the online roster. Academically and athletically, Wellen hit the ground running—until she missed a run practice.
After having back-to-back final exams, and being well into her training, Wellen was pumped for run practice with the Gators. After all, running bases is her specialty. The practice was at 6 am, so she set her alarm for 4:45—4:45 pm. This was the first time Wellen ever missed a practice and the first time she was ever kicked off the softball team.
“My perspective of softball changed during that time. I had to take a step away. I still kept my speed up and was training, but I unplugged,” said Wellen.
After sleeping through that practice, Wellen experienced a lot of anxiety and doubt. However, she displayed an immense amount of perseverance throughout this time and ultimately gained back her bearings by digging deep into her faith.
“I’d wake up so anxious. After people telling me I could never play at this level, I lacked a lot of purpose in my life. But I feel like God helped me with that,” said Wellen.
Although Wellen had to face the harsh reality that she wouldn’t be playing ball anytime soon, she respected her coach’s decision. She changed her phone to military time and now sets three alarms to ensure she never misses a beat moving forward. Most importantly, she learned a very valuable lesson through this hardship.
“Any value we place on anything in this world, whether that’s a role or an item—it can go away,” said Wellen. “Softball is a part of my life. It’s a part of who I am. It’s taught me a lot about failure and perseverance. But it’s not who I am as a person. It’s fleeting—and that’s something you have to reconcile with.”
Three-quarters of the way into the season, Wellen got a call from her coach saying they needed a base runner—and she was back on the team. Not only was she back on the team, but she also went to the College World Series that year and the Gators ended the season as a top-ten team in the nation.
Christina Wellen Becomes a NOVUS Athlete
After meeting the NOVUS team at the 2023 Catholic SEEK Conference, Wellen wanted to learn more about the company.
“The intersection of faith and sports in NOVUS is awesome,” said Wellen. “I love the culture here and what NOVUS is doing is amazing—I wanted to be a part of it.”
Christina Wellen might be most recognized for stealing bases and getting A’s, but her greatest strength that attracted NOVUS was her ability to persevere through challenges and chase her dreams. After all, NOVUS, the Latin term for “fresh” or “new beginnings,” is a reminder to work hard, persevere, and face trials with courage.
“Stick to your guns and persevere—it’s right on brand with our mission here at NOVUS. That’s what has made it so fun to work together,” said Garrett Bernardo, Founder & CEO. “Knowing she has such a great story to share with so many people out there. Not even just in the athletic world, but staying true to herself, knowing her worth, getting after it, and claiming her crown.”
NOVUS has successfully built out a roster of college athletes and professional athletes and we’re so excited to welcome Christina Wellen to the NOVUS Athlete program. Stay up to date with us on social media and check out the CrownCast as we share the latest on Christina Wellen and Gator Nation!