University of Minnesota Athletics
Summer Update: Excellence in Academics
6/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The University of Minnesota strives to have its student-athletes succeed not only on the field but in the classroom as well.
The Gophers had 12 players earn Academic All-Big Ten honors this season, had five players earn NFCA Academic honors last year and had Sam Macken named CoSIDA Academic All-District this year. We sat down with Macken, Sydney Dwyer and Hannah Evavold to talk about the academic support they receive at Minnesota for this week's summer update.
Gopher Sports: As a student-athlete what ways are you supported at the University of Minnesota in order to succeed just as much in the classroom as you do on the field?
Sydney Dwyer: Our coaches do a great job of talking about the importance of taking full advantage of the opportunity to get our education. The MAC staff along with the coaching staff push us to be successful in the classroom and are there to support us in any way we need them.
Hannah Evavold: I think our student-athlete development team in Bierman is awesome. They are super personable and send out constant emails about where we can volunteer, update our resume, etc. Our coaches do a really good job at constantly making sure we are on top of our school work. We also hold each other accountable as teammates to always being at class as well as maing sure to study a lot together after practice and while traveling.
GS: How does the U of M standout academically and what impressed you about it when you were first thinking about coming here?
Sam Macken: The University has a lot of major courses to choose from and I was very impressed with the attention everyone here pays to academics. I feel that this is an excellent place to get a degree and when I was thinking about coming to Minnesota, the advisors took the time to explain to me how the classes and campus works. I learned that although the University is large, once you choose a major your classes become much smaller. Growing up attending a smaller school, this was something that really caught my eye. I wanted to go to a big school but I needed a smaller classroom feel where I was able to approach my professor and the U of M had that for me.
SD: When I decided to come to the U I hadn't yet picked out a major. Something that I loved about Minnesota was how many options there were. I knew once I decided what I wanted to do, the U would have all the resources for me to achieve my goal.
GS: The softball team as a whole as had a lot of success in the classroom. How important is it to you all to stay successful in the classroom and is that something you talk about?
HE: We talk about it as a team often. We get prizes when getting above a 3.2 cumulative team GPA and in order to stay eligible we need to maintain a certain GPA. We hold each other accountable and we make sure the freshmen know coming in how important school is to us.
SM: We have had a lot of success academically and it is definitely something we take pride in. Being a student-athlete is not easy, it requires a lot of time management and discipline in order to be the best student you can be. I think that being strong in the classroom reflects onto the field in the way we practice and prepare each and every day. Doing well in the classroom allows us to be free and give softball all we can when we are at the field. As players we also realize that someday softball will end and we want to use the opportunity that softball has given us to prepare ourselves for the real world.
GS (to Hannah and Sydney): You personally have won both NFCA Academic honors and Academic All-Big Ten honors in your career. What does that mean to you?
SD: It's special to be recognized for academic honors because it shows that putting in the time and hard work in the classroom pays off.
HE: It's important and something I am proud of because my degree is something that will go past college. It also excites me because I like what I'm majoring in so being able to succeed with something I enjoy is always rewarding.
GS (to Sam): You personally won CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and Academic All-Big Ten honors this year. What does that mean to you?
SM: Winning these awards really means a lot to me because school has been something that I have struggled with and something that I have had to work harder than anything at to succeed. Receiving these awards is honestly one of my biggest accomplishments because I have learned a lot about myself along the way as well as proved to myself that its okay to struggle in an area but its how you react to it and what you do about it to become better
GS (to Sam): Lastly you will be going on a trip to help out at the All-Star game with a class this summer. Can you just talk about what it means to get to experience something like that through a class?
SM: The University of Minnesota offers many great classes that allows you to learn and experience things that you could not do by yourself. I am so blessed to be able to take a class that allows me to learn about how large venues address ecological issues such as climate change, waste reductions, water conservation, energy efficiency, and more environmentally friendly resources. Also get the opportunity to help at the MLB All-Star Series in San Diego is something I am so excited for. Not only do I get to learn something about how venues manage their stadiums but also I get to experience my first ever MLB All-Star Series!
