With over sixty percent Averett’s traditional campus population being student athletes, the challenge of balancing academics and athletics is very prevalent.

“With being a student athlete, I handle work and athletics by having a very organized schedule,” Emma Nash, a junior volleyball player, said. “You have to be able to balance not enough time to get school work done so you can be 100% for your sport.”

Some younger students have a hard time adapting to the transition from being a high school to college athlete.

“Being a student athlete at Averett is far more demanding than being in high school,” Micheal Pellegrino, freshman baseball player, said. “Not only physically harder practices but the workload in the classroom is also more demanding.”

With such a big athletic presence at the university, student athletes are required to meet study hall hours on a weekly basis.

“Baseball helps me address my workload,” Pellegrino said. “With having a study hall 4 hours a week, it puts us in the position to succeed in the classroom.”

Time management is the biggest factor when it comes to something as prevalent as academics.

“I believe it became harder after freshman year,” Will Caviness, a senior on the football team said. “I found as my role on the team grew so did the work in the classroom, I felt as if I had to manage my time better during my years at Averett.”

Study athletes at Averett are constantly being set up to succeed in the classroom. With resources in place, the staff do their best to see their athletes perform in and out of their sport.