“This is not a fulfilling life, it’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart,” Scheffler said to ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti. Five days after this, he won the Open Championship, his third major victory, and moved one U.S Open away from completing the golf career grand slam. “I love getting to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don’t understand the point,” Scheffler said.
A 2-time All-American at Malvern, collegiate All-American at Penn State, 4-time Major League Lacrosse All-Star, who has returned to lead his former team, Head Lacrosse Coach Matt Mackrides has experienced fulfillment on both the coaching and playing sides of the sport.
“Watching a team fulfill their potential is way more fulfilling to me as a coach than us winning, maybe even at a lesser standard,” Coach Mackrides said. Effort, he explained, can matter more than results. “You’ve had coaches say, we won that game but it almost felt like we lost. And you’ve had coaches say, “I’m proud of our effort despite losing.”
For players, coaches, and mentors, victories are temporary. What lasts are lessons, values, and growth. “I want kids to leave here better than they came here, that’s the real purpose,” Mackrides said.
Growth, not the trophy, defines success. “Fulfillment is the things that you learn in between. It’s not just being the varsity starter or winning the championship; my overarching goal is to give a great experience to players and have them learn and mature as young men,” Mackrides said.
Malvern Prep is a deeply faith-rooted Augustinian school, where faith takes highest priority with our student-athletes and coaches. Mackrides shared how the core value of faith keeps him centered here at Malvern.
“I always believe in my core values of faith, family, and friends here in this community; it shouldn’t overwhelm your life to the point where it’s your whole life,” Mackrides said.
Our Augustinian priests here at Malvern are not only dedicated to their practice of faith, but also to the development of the students who seek their guidance. Father Bill Gabriel, Head of Mission and Ministry, a young, welcoming presence on campus, is a regular figure at all Malvern events.
“Winning is fleeting, so what exactly is the point? It’s really the journey, the growth, that lasts forever.” Fr Bill said.
Competition matters, but in the aspect of growth with fellow competitors. “Competition can help you grow, but it has to be ordered the right way,” Fr. Bill said. “We get so focused on everybody else, and a lot of times, I think what our faith tells us is you can begin to change the world by first changing yourself, and that’s the place to start.”
Fr. Bill reemphasized a competitive focus inward. “Do your job. What I can control is my attitude and what I’m doing. That’s for the sake of benefiting the whole. Win the moment, just be the best possible version of yourself right now.”
Athletic success is not limited to students at Malvern. Upper school Math teacher, Mr. Joe Basuria just attained his Professional Strongman title, as well as becoming a new father less than two years ago.
“Winning is still great but it’s not the same as spending time with my family. It’s not fulfilling in the same way. Having a son forced me to be more disciplined. I can’t just take a Saturday and not do anything anymore.” Basuria said. “Strongman can’t be your whole life, most of the guys at the top [are] in their late 30s [and] have families,” Basuria said.
“I’m training to be the best, but it’s fulfilling in a different way. It’s not like when I win or when I do well, or when I hit a PR, I get to celebrate that with [just] myself. I put a lot of time into it, but [the win is] not the same as spending time with my family. It’s not fulfilling in the same way, because I get to share that with the people I’m closest to” Basuria said.
Looking outside Malvern there are plenty of examples of sports superstars who echo these sentiments. Caeleb Dressel is a three time Olympian and 9 time Olympic gold medalist in swimming. In 2024 leading up to the Paris Olympics he and his wife sat down for an interview with NBC and discussed his mental health and the impact on his well-being during and after the Olympic games.
In discussing his performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he swam five races and won five gold medals, Dressel said “on the plane ride back [home] I was thinking that was not the Games I wanted to have. That I didn’t fulfill what I thought I was capable of fulfilling. You didn’t work hard enough to get the result you wanted and you should have got the world record in the 100 free as well as the 50 free.”
Dressel’s wife Meghan spoke about this experience,“he came home with a suitcase full of gold medals, there was no room at the time for joy or celebration at the incredible things he had just done.”
Dressel spoke on his deteriorating mental health and how it was affecting him in and out of the water, he echoed the sentiment Fr. Bill emphasized during his interview: Competition and winning cannot become the overwhelming force or purpose if you wish to maintain a balanced life.
“The reality is you have one bad practice, or that one bad race or something wasn’t perfect… and then all of a sudden the thoughts tell you that you’re a piece of shit, quite honestly. But also those thoughts can be quite helpful, that is how I feel like I’ve gotten my hand on the wall in most cases, is you go blank you see red and you beat the guy next to you. It’s when the critic’s voice is much louder than the voice of reason and logic and reality that it’s not fun anymore, nothing is ever good enough.” Dressel said.
He withdrew from the 2022 World Championships for undisclosed reasons at the time. Then walked away from swimming for more than nine months. He reported getting into therapy and doing a lot of mental health work.
“Many therapy sessions later, many hours later, here we are now and still going and still learning about myself and stuff still comes up but it’s been a much healthier relationship; with the water and myself and then developing the relationship with the [internal] critic into something where I can work with him [the critic] to where he does give me an edge, it’s a partnership instead of a dictatorship.”
The Dressels welcomed their first child, a baby boy, in February 2024, “There’s a new set of eyes watching me now and wanting to show him that this is what hard work gets you, this is what obsession gets you, this is what enjoying your craft gets you” Dressel said.
His wife Meghan praised his journey, “watching Caeleb become a father has been incredibly special; it has become something that’s truly such a source of joy in his life. That’ s everything because there’s no smokescreen, no facade.”
Echoing Caeleb Dressel’s journey—-History and the world of sports offers plenty of reminders that victory alone cannot sustain happiness. Even some of the most decorated champions in sports have been candid about their struggle to find fulfillment and joy. Swimming legend Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever with 28 medals, has spoken openly about his battles with depression even during the height of his record-breaking career.
“[You] work so hard for four years to get to that point, and then it’s like you’re…at the top of the mountain, you’re like what the hell am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I?” Phelps said in a 2022 Healthline interview.
His story underscores the truth that medals and titles cannot fill the deeper needs of the heart. After all great accomplishments, the reality is that life moves on, and that can leave both holes and questions in athletes.
“Really, after every Olympics I think I fell into a major state of depression,” Phelps said.
He was charged with driving under the influence in 2004 after the Athens Olympics and after the 2008 Beijing Olympics (where he won a record 8 gold medals) he was caught on camera using marijauna (illegal at the time).
“[You] work so hard for four years to get to that point, and then it’s like you’re…at the top of the mountain, you’re like what the hell am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I?” Phelps said.
Winning while admirable and coming with plenty of perks, is never everything and will not solve an internal crisis. Fr. Bill emphasized that faith in the Divine is the completing factor of any human journey.
“Augustine says the human being fully alive is the glory of God. So we know that we’re not where we are called to be, yet there’s always room for improvement. I think there’s, there’s great wisdom to say, like, hey, I always have work to do to grow into the person that I’m being called to be” Fr. Bill said.
Nick Feldman ‘22, currently competing as Ohio State University’s heavyweight wrestler, an NCAA All-American and named Ohio State’s Male Outstanding Sportsmanship Winner contemplated what brings him most fulfillment. 
“Fulfillment for me comes from seeking Christ and righteousness everyday. On the mat and off of it” Feldman said. 
He went on, “that means being someone that others want to follow on and off the mat. Holding yourself to a high standard everywhere. Completing hard, training hard, always with respect but with the desire to dominate the challenge in front of you.”
Another hyper-successful former Malvern athlete and upcoming MLB prospect at Louisville University, Tague Davis ‘24, spoke about his Malvern journey, and the competitive virtues that have guided him.
“Playing any sport at Malvern is the best of the best for where you are at now, the competition is what makes athletes so great at Malvern. Learning to deal with competition and overcoming yourself and playing the
game the right way is how you will be rewarded. That’s what Malvern taught me” Davis said.
Davis has had unquestionable success on the field, both pitching and hitting at every level, but he shared that his fulfillment in life comes from something much greater.
“The biggest thing that brings me fulfillment is definitely my faith in Jesus because without him I wouldn’t even be near where I am today! That’s what makes Malvern so unique because it brings kids closer to God and that’s why I have become who I am” Davis said.
He continued, “ My faith is everything to me. I have always been an every Sunday Mass goer and for four years I’ve grown so
much in knowing who Jesus is in my life. The most memorable moment was my MECO [Malvern Encountering Christ in Others] experience because I felt God grab me and bring me closer to him. Father Bill and Father Flynn put so much love in my heart and the brotherhood being everyone closer together. And at the center of all the love is Jesus Christ. That is why we believe, because of one word… Love. “
Scottie Scheffler ended his ESPN interview with his overarching philosophical view about his profession.
“That’s one of the beautiful things about golf, and it’s also one of the frustrating things, because you can have such great accomplishments, but the show goes on. That’s just how it is.”
Ultimately, what makes us whole? What gives us purpose and meaning? Winning championships, gold medals, setting records? For some, these moments seem like they are everything, a completion of a life’s work. But for others, many of whom are at the very top of their mountain, it’s simply just another day’s work. This leaves the single most important and individualized question in life: What’s your purpose?
