Although the stereotypical dumb jock may prevail at some universities, the athletes at Loyola are anything but. With a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 for the entire athletics program, Loyola’s athletes have skills that go far beyond the playing field.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics honors junior and senior athletes for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Over a dozen athletes received the honor for the 2006-2007 season.
The amount of time and focus required in university level sports demands discipline and refined habits. For the Loyola student struggling to balance a schedule, the advice of an athlete may be invaluable.
SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS
The women’s volleyball team ranked 15th highest in the NAIA with a cumulative GPA of 3.364. Mary Seals, an accounting senior who averaged 4.27 kills a game last season, made the NAIA honors list.
With volleyball taking at least eighteen hours of practice time a week, setter Sarah Howard, marketing senior, is a self-proclaimed obsessive-compulsive organizer.
“It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve been playing club volleyball since I was in eighth grade, which is year-round. I had to be organized,” Howard said.
She is also the vice president of Theta Phi Alpha sorority, which commands a healthy chunk of time – an average of 15 hours a week.
Howard said her key to keeping everything straight and manageable is making a to-do list. “I don’t plan hour by hour, but make sure you schedule in breaks, so you don’t feel guilty to take your hour to watch ‘Rock of Love.’ Plus, you get the satisfaction of crossing things off.”
MANAGING THE CLOCK
Men’s basketball forward Mario Faranda, finance senior, takes an average of 18 hours a semester, which for many is a challenge on its own. On top of his full course load, Faranda and the rest of the team spend an average of 15 to 20 hours in the gym on a weekly basis. As the former president of the International Student Association and a star player on the basketball team, Faranda believes that the key to handling responsibilities is efficiency and hard work.
“You have to be able to manage your time. Stay efficient, go to class and really pay attention,” he said.
Mario’s advice for those who may be struggling with time management is to “keep working hard,” and eventually things will get less hectic.
swinging for the fences
The Loyola men’s baseball team ranked eighth in the NAIA with a GPA of 3.1.
Third baseman Brian Mason, accounting senior, believes that the key to academic success with a busy schedule is to plan ahead. This summer, the NAIA honored Mason for his academic accomplishments for the second time.
As a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and Beta Alpha Psi, an accounting and finance fraternity, Mason spends about 18 hours in the gym, three to five hours with his fraternities and an average of 15 hours a week in the classroom.
Although he might not think so, few students could manage the schedule that he does. His personal philosophy: “Know your priorities and everything else will fall in place.”
Last season, Mason posted a .305 batting average and was 10-for-10 on stolen bases. Paul Neill, math junior, also made the honors list.
OTHER NOTABLES
The women’s cross country squad holds the highest GPA, with a 3.56, putting them fourth highest in the NAIA for women’s cross country. Rebecca and Emily Reed, psychology seniors, both made the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Honors for outstanding performance in the classroom.
Last year’s women’s basketball team boasted a GPA of 3.38, ranking 15th in the NAIA. Catherine Blanchard, management senior, Dani Holland, criminal justice graduate, Christine Mainguy, management senior and Kimberly Rigg, psychology pre-med senior, all made the league honors.
Erin Iafelice can be reached at
