Women's soccer team honored for scholastic excellence

By: Melissa Crew

Posted: 1/27/10

Contrary to popular belief, some people who play sports have more going for them than just their athleticism. For example, the MNU women's soccer team was recently awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association of America 2008-2009 Team Academic Award for having a combined average GPA of 3.46.

A total of 528 teams won the award this year by having a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher. MNU shares the list with KU and Auburn to name a few.

Many people don't realize the stress and effort that student athletes put into keeping their academic performance as in good of shape of their athletic performance.

"I personally don't feel pressure from other people to get good grades, mostly it's the pressure I put on myself," sophomore Taylor Howell said. "I set my standards pretty high for myself and do my best achieve them."

A lot of the girls on the team take pride in their academic performance, and have found a way to make both soccer and their grades a priority.

"I would say that for me personally, it is huge to keep good grades during the season. So much of my scholarship to be here is from my grades, and if I let them slip, so does my money. Even though I should say grades are my main priority during the season, I would have to say it's just about even. It is hard to do both activities well, but I have too much pride to let one or the other slip," sophomore Nicole Ferguson said. Ferguson is a mid-fielder on the team.

Finding the time to balance soccer and grades is hard to do, but student athletes are forced to find a combination.

"I balance my time by going straight from class to practice, and then to dinner and then study groups," junior Bekah Blankenship, also a midfielder for the team, said.

"Keeping good grades is very important to me. I'm not just an athlete, I'm a student athlete and the student part is a big deal," Howell said. "It's my job to find a way to balance practice, games and homework."