But what happens after that? What's it like for a non-MSU athlete to live in a house full of athletes?

For neuroscience senior Pear Limpanich, her 2021-2022 housing plans came at the last minute due to the pandemic.

Limpanich was assigned to the apartment unit where gymnasts seniors Nyah Smith, Lea Mitchell and Alaina Raybon were living.

“It was right after the COVID year, so I just came back from home and wasn’t sure if I was coming back or not, so I signed my lease pretty late,” Limpanich said. “I had to go in at random and, when I signed my lease at Campus Village, they put me in my current unit with three new roommates.”

For physician assistant graduate student Brianna Regan, the situation was flipped. Regan lives with two other non-student athletes, one of which is digital storytelling junior Alondra Castaneda. Strategic communication graduate student Shakira Dancy, a sprinter on MSU’s track and field team, is the odd one out in the group. 

This rooming matchup was randomized – besides a prior friendship between Dancy and Castaneda.

“Shakira and I got to know each other this summer and got along really well,” Castaneda said. "We eventually became friends and now we’re really close, and they had an extra room.”

Despite their busy schedules, Limpanich, Regan and Castaneda have had an opportunity to get to know their roommates and get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a student athlete at MSU — even if they aren't the biggest sports fans. 

“I’m not a huge sports person but I talk to her about games and learn about how they work,” Castaneda said. “She’s introduced me to people in sports and has definitely gotten me more involved and given me a know-how.”

Typical training schedule

Limpanich said she rarely saw her roommates before dinner time. They were on completely opposite schedules due to required training and classes.

“They all trained pretty early,” Limpanich said. “I don’t know what their training schedule was like, but I know that everytime I woke up they were gone either because they were at a meet, training or a competition. I would usually see them towards the evening when they came back from practice.”

Limpanich said it was constantly quiet in the apartment, especially during the spring semester when the gymnastics season was in full swing. 

While her roommates were constantly busy gearing up for their meets, they managed to make time to see friends and hang out with each other at the apartment.

Similarly, Regan said Dancy is often at practice or supporting other MSU sports at community wide events. They have busy schedules, making it difficult to see one another in their free time. 

“I have class eight hours a day, so I see her sometimes, sometimes not,” Regan said. “She does more social things too but I know she’s busy.”

A haul of the fridge

“Shakira eats pretty clean, I think she’s vegetarian,” Regan said. “She’s always cooking things that look like they’re really good for you, including using nutritional yeast and plant based coffee creamer. I rarely see her eating junk.”

“(Dancy) eats pretty healthy, more than most,” Castaneda said. "She makes smoothies all the time and I do too but she knows how to always add certain supplements, powders, proteins and lots of other things.”

Despite misconceptions about what athletes can and can’t eat, Limpanich said her roommates enjoyed junk food even in the thick of the gymnastics season. They had their fair share of sweets regardless of food expectations mid-season.

Expanding social circles

Limpanich, an international student from Thailand, said that living with Smith, Mitchell and Raybon was a great way to get to know other students, specifically those on the gymnastics team. 

Despite a busy work schedule, she was able to meet several gymnasts when they would come to the apartment or when joining in on events outside the apartment.

“I did meet the team when I went to one of the girls’ birthday dinners,” Limpanich said. “I was the only non-gymnast there. They were all pretty nice and it was great.”

Both Castaneda and Regan said living with an MSU athlete has also been a learning experience and that they look forward to learning more about athletics throughout the year from Dancy.

Castaneda said she has already learned from Dancy, specifically in relation to time management. From watching Dancy successfully divvy up her time and complete athletic and academic requirements, it's caused her to rethink how she balances her own commitments. 

Regan and Castaneda have also expressed interest in becoming more involved in MSU athletics and attending track and field meets when their schedules allow.

"I like to know what's going on at MSU and that's another aspect that I haven't been knowledgeable about but I know it's very big here," Castaneda said. "I'm open to learning more about what she does.”