St. Michael’s athletics has one of the highest percentages of senior participation that it has had in years, according to athletic director Geri Knortz. But, for softball, the team is graduating no seniors this year.

Short on seniors

Most of the seniors on the team quit over the summer, but the last few quit in the beginning of the fall season, which affected the team’s morale, Newton says.

“Initially it was a shock,” she says.

Senior Lindsay Howland was one of the players who quit this season. (Photo courtesy of Sports Information)

The seniors, some whom were starters, quit for either personal or academic reasons, softball coach Robyn Newton says. Many of the players took on an internship that conflicted with softball and some came back from abroad and realized they were behind in skills.

Each season, the team usually starts with 5-7 first-year players, but only three or four of those players continue up to their senior year, Newton says.  This season, there are no seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and six first-years. 

Ashley Harkins is a junior on the women’s softball team. When the team lost all of its seniors in the beginning, it was most difficult for the juniors and sophomores, Harkins says.

“The seniors were people we looked up to and they were leaders,” she says.  “It’s disappointing that we don’t have them any more.”

The first-years on the team never played with the seniors, so they didn’t feel as let down when they quit, Harkins says.

In the beginning, it was hard to know who was committed to the team, Newton says.  Two juniors quit as well as all of the seniors.

“It seemed like every week or two we were losing someone else,” she says.

Now, the team knows that everyone who’s still on the team is committed 100 percent, she says.

Athletics on campus

Usually St. Michael’s graduates about 60 to 65 of its student-athletes each year.  This year, 71 unduplicated student-athletes are graduating, according to Knortz.  Twenty percent of the student-athletes on campus are seniors.

A softball player practices her swing with Coach Robyn Newton in the Tarrant Center. (Photo by Emily Kaas)

This statistic is not unusual because on any club or team, people usually quit as they continue through the years, Knortz says.  Every once in a while there is a team with no seniors. Last year, it was the volleyball team.

“It’s usually the smaller teams,” she says.  “It would be weird for the hockey team with 30 or so members to have no seniors.

The overall average GPA from the 2006-2007 season for student-athletes was 3.07, while that of the whole student body was 3.11, Knortz says.

“It’s a good accomplishment to be so close to the regular GPA,” she says.

The lowest GPAs tend to be from the younger classes, while the highest usually come from seniors, she says.  This is one reason why the overall GPA for student-athletes isn’t higher, as senior athletes make up only 20 percent of the student-athlete population.

Managing school and sports

Junior Marissa Deegan played hockey when she was a first-year. It was hard for her to balance school and sports, especially when she had to miss classes for games, she says.

“For the most part, teachers are understanding,” Deegan says.  “But there’s no real way to make up notes from missed classes.”

She misses hockey, but is glad she quit because it was such a big commitment.

“I wanted to experience all of St. Michael’s, not just the rink and my dorm room,” she says.

It’s hardest for her to balance school and softball in the spring when they start having games, Harkins says. Last year they had a week where they played 10 games, of which most were double-headers, making it hard for her and the other players to juggle school and softball, she says.

Junior Andrea Slaven, current field hockey player, was part of the basketball team as a first-year. Playing sports actually help her with school, she says. While she’s in season, having a routine of classes, practice, dinner then homework helps her manage her time, Slaven says.

“It’s also motivation knowing you had to do well to stay on a team,” she says.

Teachers are slowly becoming more understanding of athletic commitments, Slaven says. It’ll be a very long process, but the first step is that teachers are coming to games and supporting their students, she says.

Newton urges her players to be proactive and tell professors ahead of time when conflicts with softball will arise, she says.  The softball team has a high GPA and is well-respected by professors, she says.

Most teachers understand athletic commitments, but some don’t like student-athletes to miss class, Harkins says.

“Sometimes you really have to decide if you should miss class for a game or go to class and miss the game,” she says.