Favorite Memorized Passage:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
I Peter 2:9
Honors & Accomplishments:
- ANYC Champion (2014, 2016)
- CI Champion (2016)
- SCQANIT Champion (2015, 2016)
Dalton Croy began Bible quizzing in the 6th grade after being convinced by his best friend Chase to give it a try. When he started, his team only participated in the PQA and Division II at a few tournaments. By the time Dalton was in 8th grade, he was a very strong quizzer on a team which was in the top tier of the PQA. The next year, under Coach David Poston, Athens began attending national tournaments, including the 2013 Colorado Invitational. While sharing with all other teams in watching Hillsdale dominate that season, it was the following year that Dalton’s career escalated.
In the 2013-2014 season over Corinthians, Athens starting competing for national tournaments consistently. Starting off with impressive preseason tournament wins at the Great Lakes Invitational and Smoky Mountain Invitational, Athens was on everyone’s radar. The question was, “can Athens’s preseason success translate into major tournaments?”
That question was answered definitively in January 2014. Dalton led his team to win the Athens New Year’s Classic in a very close final quiz over Heritage Mission. According to Dalton, “it was a tight final quiz and we were able to seal it on the last question, definitely a moment I’ll keep with me for a long time.” This kickstarted Dalton’s success at major tournaments. That year ended with second place finishes at CI and SCQANIT, leading to a 2nd place ranking for the year.
The 2015 season over Matthew included a 2nd place finish at ANYC and a win at SCQANIT but a disappointing fluke CI finish that year resulted in a 2nd place ranking for that season as well. At this point, the Athens crew was ready for being the number one team.
Senior year for Dalton was legendary over Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter. Under Dr. & Mrs. Hockema, Athens had a team consisting of Dalton, Chase, Calvin, Katie, and Nic. Unparalleled chemistry, veins of ice, and passion for the game propelled this team to win ANYC, CI, and SCQANIT, finally claiming a 1st place ranking at the end of the season. From Dalton’s Sophomore year to the end of his traditional quizzing career, he accumulated five major tournament wins and never ranked lower than 2nd nationally. Since that fluke finish at CI 2015, he never lost a major tournament.
Dalton says that God used Bible quizzing in his life in countless ways. God used it to teach Dalton how to “respond in victory and defeat, how to build friendships that go deeper than surface level, how to be a better leader, and how to be a better teammate.”
More importantly than that however; Dalton stated that Bible quizzing strengthened his relationship with his Lord and Savior, “the biggest thing I can say for how God used quiz in my life is that it gave me depth with Him. I was a Christian before Bible Quiz, I would NOT be anywhere as close to God without it.”
As a retired quizzer who has stayed active in the community, Dalton has two pieces of advice for current quizzers. First, “dwell on the material before, during, and after you memorize it. It’s honestly really amazing if you can tell people you’ve memorized a book, a chapter or even twenty verses of the Bible, but learning words on a page isn’t enough. This concept of competitive Bible Quiz is an incredible motivator, but NEVER let the competition become the focus over knowing God’s Word and allowing His Spirit to change your life because of it.”
Second, Dalton advises current quizzer to “actively reach out to connect with people outside of your school or ministry. The friends I’ve made through quizzing are some of the closest relationships that I have in my life. One of the absolute coolest things about quizzing is that it allows you to build friendships with people all over America. Take advantage of that opportunity!”
In conclusion, I am blessed to have met, competed with and against, and become close friends with Dalton. I was very impressed as a quizzer, and am still inspired today by his positive attitude, ambition, encouragement, and leadership ability. It is my pleasure to induct Dalton into the Bible Quiz Hall of Fame. This accomplishment is well earned.