By Ryan Signorino
Staff Writer
From managing classes, classwork, time to eat and sleep and maintaining a social life, time management can be difficult for college students. Throw in being a student athlete on top of all that, and the equation for finding time throughout the day can become even more crammed.
That’s why women’s swimming and diving was recognized for having the highest GPA in the Atlantic 10 and the 15th highest in the nation for Division I schools with a 3.57 team GPA.
With a vigorous training routine and two practices a day, the women showed they could excel in the classroom and in the pool, with 16 of the 23 swimmers making it onto the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the fall semester.
Freshman backstroker and freestyler Theresa Hutton was in awe by the team’s accomplishments.
She said it was already a big deal getting first in the Atlantic 10, but it shocked her when she heard about getting 15th in the nation.
Senior butterflyer Emily Quinn said that while the recognition surprised her, it shows the commitment and determination the team gets out of swimming and translates into the real world.
“It says a lot about our team. Not only have we made great success in the pool this year, but also in the classroom, which is huge because really that’s the main reason we are in collegiate athletics in the first place,” said Quinn.
Head coach Brian Thomas was incredibly proud of the girls, but he would rather compare the team to themselves.
He said that, compared to past years, the girls have improved overall this year.
He called the team a mature group and said that they are committed to all aspects of their lives at the university.
Thomas also said he loves coaching at St. Bonaventure because he believes students gain a fantastic education here when compared to other schools he has worked at, and offers second to none resources.
“I do think it’s a matter of having smaller class sizes and greater attention to detail. Our swimmers have personal relationships with professors, and you don’t get that everywhere,” said Thomas. “Heather McDivitt, who’s our academic advisor, is on top of them at all times. We get weekly reports. We sit down weekly and talk about each swimmer on the roster, not only what’s going on academically, but what’s going on in her personal life and what her schedule looks like on a daily basis.”
Organizing a team study hall helped the swimmers academically. In addition to freshmen having to do at least eight hours of study hall, the team met for study hall on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, usually for about five hours a week, said Hutton.
Balancing two-a-day practices and a full schedule of classes can be a juggling act, said Hutton, and since the season is so long, swimmers need to have a strong work ethic.
“I think the toughest part would definitely be getting up so early in the morning, staying up so late at night and having to squeeze in a nap, as well as having to do everything,” said Hutton.
Quinn said she tries to avoid napping so that she has more time to get work done throughout the day, but making sure, as an athlete, she gets enough sleep.
“It can be easy to run home in between classes and take a nap, because you are tired from your day, when really going to the library for just an hour and powering through your work will be a lot better for you in the long run,” said Quinn. “Having such a hectic schedule leaves little free time, so if you have work to do it forces you to be productive with whatever downtime you do have, otherwise either your sleeping time suffers or your grades do.”
With the busy schedule swim team has, Kuchinski said she is proud of the work everyone put in over the course of the semester.
“I think it just shows how much the program has grown in and out of the pool,” said Kuchinski.
signorra15@bonaventure.edu
