Maria Sartin knew it was a far-fetched idea to pitch her women’s activewear business to Concordia University as an undergraduate student.
But when she continued her studies at Grand Canyon University as a graduate student while competing for the women’s track team, Sartin found more avenues for her business.
One of those roads took Sartin’s company to the Lope Shop, where the campus retailer displayed her Uncontainable line prominently. The pieces nearly sold out during Welcome Week.
“Workout wear is not something that’s readily available in the college market unless it’s Lululemon, which is very expensive and very hard to purchase,” said Shelly Schrimpf, Lope Shop assistant director of campus retail and licensing. “When she came here as a student, people were wearing (her merchandise). And it’s faith-based, because all the clothing has ‘He is Great’ or a Bible verse. I just really like that.”
Sartin, who sold her clothing at IDEA Club Marketplaces shortly after enrolling at GCU in fall 2024, began to refine her product and moved into GCU-based Canyon Ventures, which helps startups grow and scale. She understood the balance of producing quality performance clothing at an affordable price, as well as adding a personal touch “to fit the Christian university and its values," she said.
“We put little verses and little detailing on each piece. We have Hebrews 12:1, which is a verse about running your race, and that's on our run shorts. And then we have ‘Defined by Him’ on one of the pieces … and ‘Faith Over Fear’ on the last piece,” said Sartin, who hopes to qualify for her native New Zealand in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Colangelo College of Business Dean John Kaites was delighted to learn Sartin was adding verses to her clothing line at GCU.
“It's one of the many examples of how our students are equipped at Grand Canyon University to love God and understand the principles to love God and to understand the miracle of business principles, and she obviously has accelerated it both,” Kaites said. “We're super excited about the work that she's doing and her products, and the fact that they're being sold right here at Grand Canyon University.”
Sartin, who earned her master’s degree in business administration in the spring, has no reservations that her clothing line can compete with the likes of Nike and other high-profile brands.
“I have confidence in my apparel,” Sartin said. “It's really high quality. That's why I design it, because I want women to feel really good in it. ... It's just transferring that to the customer. As a smaller brand, they don't know about you yet. I had confidence that it could sell, but it was just transferring that over, and I guess it's transferred over really well, which is super exciting.
During one visit to the Lope Shop in mid-August, Sartin saw a young woman in the checkout lane purchasing a set of her clothing.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. That’s so exciting!’ And I saw one (set) on their reserve hanger, too.”
Schrimpf liked that Sartin stuck with neutral black and white colors, though Sartin plans to incorporate lavender and royal purple into her attire.
She also hopes to find GCU students to showcase her latest additions. Fellow GCU graduate and track athlete Macie Evans appeared as an Uncontainable model.
Selling Uncontainable attire at the Lope Shop provides another option for her student customers.
“You can buy activewear anywhere, like on Amazon or SHEIN, but most activewear that is affordable doesn't have that performance quality or long-lasting quality,” Sartin said. “I feel that's why it's doing so well in the Lope Shop because it's different to other brands. It has a different feel. Girls can actually see that."
She added that another differentiator is that the pieces for the Lope Shop are faith-based, "and there's not many activewear that's easily accessible and has that performance aspect, too. So making that easily accessible has been a game-changer.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
***
Related content:
GCU News: https://news.gcu.edu/colangelo-college-of-business/from-gcu-students-to-start-up-ceos/
