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| Sophia Davis and fellow freshman student-athlete Maureen McKeown at their graduation from Wooster High School |
For some, sports consume our entire being. Whether watching, coaching, refereeing, or competing, some students become so involved in their sport(s) that they compromise time in other aspects of their lives. Though the collegiate level of sports is demanding, coaches make an effort to make sure their athletes maintain the “student-athlete” mindset over the “athlete-student” mantra. Maureen McKeown, a fellow graduate of Wooster High School, is a freshman here at Ashland and is competing on the Cross Country Team under the freshly positioned coach, Jacob Sussman. McKeown is majoring in Early Childhood Education which, like all majors, requires work outside of the classroom. Her interest in the minds of children sparked a passion for teaching and helping children grow through their early years; however, McKeown also wants to continue growing and developing her gift of running.
McKeown ran all four years in high school, developing a love of running in pursuit of continuing at the collegiate level. School for her often came second, a distant second, thus engraving the “athlete-student” mindset into her as well as other friends who were in the same situation, pursuing similar dreams of competing in college. McKeown continues by stressing the importance of finding a balance in order to perform well academically as well as on the cross country course because the level of intensity is much higher when making the transition from high school to college.
I swam all four years in high school, waking up four mornings a week at five to jump in the pool by 5:30 a.m., then continue on with the school day, following another practice from 3:30-5:30 each day. Twelve-hour school days for five months of the school year made for a busy and draining schedule. While not seeking to continue a swim career at Ashland, I am on the cross country team with Maureen, and am majoring in English. To pursue a Division II sport in college as well as focus on your major is a challenge, yet provides structure, friendship, and a balance between working the mind versus working the body.
By competing in a sport, not only are you able to continue a passion for something physical, but it introduces you and allows you to bond with a group of people with similar interests, making the transition into college easy. For Maureen, she especially looked forward to this aspect of coming to Ashland, but was also forcing herself to readjust to the academic workload. McKeown and I, like many others, anticipated more studying, longer essays, and thicker textbooks. By finding a balance with studying, practicing, and hanging out with friends, we realized the importance of being a successful “student-athlete” in college and hope to inspire friends and family at home to find a similar balance in life to be both happy and successful their freshman year in college.
