Yeshiva University’s student athletes continue to show their academic excellence with 54 students being named to the Skyline Conference academic honor roll for the 2017 Winter and Spring season. A total of 554 Skyline Conference student athletes met the required 3.30 or better grade point average for the 2017 Winter and Spring semesters to receive this award with the basketball team calculations combining fall and spring grades.
With 54 athletes, YU has the fourth most awardees of the seventeen schools in the conference and its affiliates. The YU athletic department participates in just half the sports eligible for this award so it has much fewer athletes eligible, making finishing near the top all the more impressive.
“The balance our student athletes continue to exhibit in the classroom and in competition speaks volumes to their character,” Skyline Conference Commissioner Linda Bruno said in the announcement.
In a survey conducted by The Observer of over 50 YU student athletes, both male and female, 75 percent responded that they spend over thirteen hours a week at either games or practices. This number does not include time spent working out on their own or meeting with the trainer for strength training.
Some student athletes believe that the time taken away from their studying is actually an academic advantage. Responses to the survey referred to how less study time makes for more productivity when actually sitting down to do work.
Said one respondent, “When I’m in season, I know that I have a very set amount of time to do work so I work harder to get things done in the time that I have. When not busy with sports I have enough free time to procrastinate.”
Elisa Alweis, a senior at SCW on the softball team, acknowledges that balancing school and sports is tough but the payoff is well worth the time and effort. “Finding the balance between school work and sports is definitely tough, but having to do so has not only made me a more conscientious student, but also more organized and driven all around,” she tells The Observer. “Sports are a necessary outlet that lets me focus better in school.”
Another student athlete who responded to the survey echoes Alweis feelings.“While being a student athlete appears to be a tremendous time commitment, it’s benefits greatly outnumber the negatives. Being a student athlete has introduced me to the YU athletics community, enabled me to take part in the unique opportunity to play the sport I love on a collegiate level and has taught me various crucial life skills including time management and creating a positive team dynamic.”
All this being said, 48 percent of student athletes surveyed admitted that there are times when they entered a practice or a game with some level of stress because of an upcoming exam or assignment. Additionally, 55 percent of surveyed student athletes have missed a practice or a game because of school work.
YU athletics has a long history of academic awards. The names of all 54 athletes, as well as past awardees, can be found at YUmacs.com.
Athletics Director Joe Bednarsh expressed his pride in the athletes for this accomplishment. “I am so proud of our amazing student-athletes who prove once again that excellence on the field of play doesn’t take away from their excellence in the classroom.”
