In February, the Columbia Bible College (CBC) women’s basketball team in Canada decided to risk political backlash by refusing to play against teams with trans-identifying players — a stance that sparked significant controversy. But, despite the criticism they faced for living out their religious convictions, CBC persevered, ultimately winning the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship.

The saga began in late October when CBC forfeited matches against a team with a trans-identifying player named Harriette Mackenzie. This decision quickly triggered an investigation and sanctions from the athletic conference, PACWEST, over alleged abuse toward a transgender opponent earlier in the season, according to Fox News. CBC lost the privilege of hosting the national championship, and head coach Taylor Claggett was suspended.

In response, CBC issued this statement: “PACWEST has publicly stated that it has concluded its investigation. CBC is deeply disappointed with PACWEST’s decision. We do not believe that a proper process was followed or that the results were fair. As a result, we are taking steps to have PACWEST’s decision reviewed. We will not be commenting further at this time.”

The conflict with Mackenzie, who played for Vancouver Island University (VIU), led to accusations that Claggett had cornered VIU staff over her concerns about a biological male competing on their team. Claggett responded to the controversy that her objection “has nothing to do with a specific athlete, but instead, the safety of female athletes in their sport.” As this case continued, CBC players wrote a letter supporting Claggett and calling out the “personal attacks,” “defamatory comments,” as well as “comments that incite violence” against their coach. They also noted that the situation between the two schools should have been “communicated to PACWEST officials alone,” not “uploaded publicly to social media” as they were.

As Breitbart highlighted, CBC “has faced stiff criticism and harsh punishments for refusing to play and forfeiting games.” The CCAA tried to strip them of their ability to host tournaments and accused them of violating civil rights. And yet, it appears this controversy did not stop CBC from accomplishing a historic Saturday victory, in which the team secured their first national title at the CCAA women’s basketball championship.

Family Research Council’s Mary Szoch, a former Division I athlete, emphasized that “women’s sports should be for women only. Standing for this does not make women’s sports unsafe,” she told The Washington Stand, “but allowing men to play does.” She continued, “Columbia Bible College should be commended for standing for what is true, even if it cost them games. In sports, men have a distinct physical advantage over women. Not every man is better than every woman, but at comparable levels (i.e. Division I vs. Division I) men are better.”

“Every time a man is allowed to play,” Szoch pointed out, “he takes a woman’s spot and puts other women’s lives in danger. No team should stand for this. Congrats to CBC on their championship victory, their courage, and their common sense.”

FRC’s Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview David Closson explained to TWS that Christians can learn a lot about standing firm from this team’s example. “Romans 12:15 tells Christians to rejoice with those who rejoice, and I think it is appropriate for Christians in the United States to be excited for Columbia Bible College for going all the way this year and winning the CCAA women’s basketball national championship.”

“CBC,” he added, “won the championship despite a season of being in the news for reasons off the court. In fact, they had to overcome forfeits and even the suspension of their head coach after an athlete who identifies as transgender accused the school of abuse.” Ultimately, he continued, “it’s just encouraging to see a group of athletes who had the courage of their convictions” to stand against what they knew wasn’t right.

As a result, Closson concluded, they “achieved the ultimate victory on the court” while also being a good example for Christians and anyone who wants to protect women and girls from the transgender controversy of the day. “These young women who won” serve as inspiration to “many Canadians and Americans to continue standing for the integrity of women’s sports.”