With classes starting up, the MSU women’s soccer team only has one game this week, specifically so they can focus on getting settled into the regimen of the new school year.
Head coach Tom Saxton said the team prides itself on having a good grade-point average, or GPA.
“One of the things that we have always been very proud of in our program and that we promote, using recruiting, put on our Facebook page, is our academic success and we have a very good track record,” Saxton said. “I think ourselves and Penn State have far more academic all-Big Ten honorees than anyone else in the Big Ten. It happens pretty much every year.”
He said last year, 21 of the 22 players were eligible to be academic all-Big Ten were honored.
Junior defender Annie Steinlage, said that switching back to school from soccer is a big change.
“It’s definitely a transition because coming in to the preseason, you can focus 100 percent on soccer,” she said.
Steinlage said the team as a group always is talking about having a good team GPA and that all freshmen are required to complete a certain amount of study hours.
According to Steinlage, it takes time to find the right balance between studying and playing soccer, but after a while, she said she seems to be getting into a routine.
“My freshman year, I struggled with putting in enough time,” Steinlage said. “I found the right place to study. I need to study in quiet.”
Senior forward Olivia Stander said many athletes have classes together, so they like to study together both at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center or on the bus during road trips, but that’s not the case for her.
“I usually don’t have classes (with other players),” the kinesiology major said.
She also said it helps not having a game to prepare for during the first week of classes because the strict school schedule requires much concentration, and that her time management skills have improved as she has gotten older.
“Every year gets a little bit easier,” Stander said. “I’m much more mature about getting my stuff done early. Overall, even though we have a lot more commitments with soccer, I think it helps me be even more committed to my school work.”
Saxton said one of their goals each year is to win the trophy for highest GPA given out by the Student-Athlete Support Services.
“Typically because of the bell curve, tennis and golf or cross country win it every year because they have 10 or 11 athletes,” Saxton said. “We won it one year with 28 kids. Our biggest thing is (to) try to get that trophy back.”
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