Sunshine “Sunny” Leonard-Beshears was a stand out in athletics from a very early age. At Chenango Forks High School in Port Crane, NY, she started playing softball and soccer at the varsity level as a freshman. She also participated in basketball and track during her time there, but soccer was her main love.
She made her mark on the pitch right away by becoming the first player in Chenango Forks High School history to make the All-Conference team as a sophomore. She led the team in assists for three years, and received All-Division and All-State honors as a senior in 1996 after overcoming an ACL tear that stopped her junior year season short.
Oddly enough, Sunshine claims the injury was one of the more memorable moments of her sports career growing up. She remembers it taught her to be grateful for the ability to play sports and encouraged her to rely on God’s strength, healing, and plan for her future.
Part of that plan included coming to college at Houghton. She decided it was the perfect fit for her after just one visit. She recalls feeling immediately accepted by the players and was overwhelmed by the camaraderie of the team. Houghton was also one of the few Christian colleges that had an Art Major, which was her other passion alongside of soccer.
As a member of the women’s soccer team, Sunny definitely made her mark. She was a 3rd-Team NSCAA NAIA All-American in 1998, and an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American in 1999 and 2000.
She was a 4-time 1st Team All-Conference and a 3-time 1st Team All-Region. She was honored as the 1998 NAIA Regional Player of the Year and stands in the Houghton record books as 3rd All-Time in Career Assists with 46 and 6th All-Time in career points with 148 as an outside midfielder.
As a captain, she led her teams to 4 conference championships, 2 National tournament appearances, and 4 National Poll rankings.
Her coach, David Lewis, reflects on his time coaching her: “As a player, Sunny brought speed, consistent composure, and an ability to find the back of the net from her outside midfield position. As a person, Sunny is fun-loving. She has a quiet, yet bubbly personality. Her love for Christ is evidenced in the care and support she lends to others. I consider it a true pleasure to know Sunny and her family.”
After Houghton, she continued her soccer career playing for the Charlotte Lady Eagles, a semi-professional team under the Missionary Athletes International organization. During her time, she participated in and led several international soccer missions to several different countries such as Ethiopia, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Germany. After playing for three years, she joined their staff as the Women’s Soccer Ministry Director for five years. She also coached at the collegiate level as the assistant men’s soccer coach at Belhaven College in 2001 and then back at Houghton College in 2002 and 2003.
After her soccer career, she decided to pursue her passion for art. She began working at a ceramics studio, making and selling pottery and teaching children’s classes. She met her husband and got married in 2009 and moved to Greensboro, NC where she currently resides. She eventually went back to school and earned her teaching certification in art, and had her son, Tobyn. Now, she is a stay at home mom and wife and still enjoys making pottery.
She remembers fondly her time at Houghton, and says it molded her into the person she is today. She says, “I don’t remember too many details about the goals scored or games won, but what I do remember most clearly are the relationships built through being a member of the women’s soccer team. As a team member, I immediately gained a family that shared our lives with each other-the good and the bad, on and off the field.”
