Honors College Athletes Take Challenge to a Whole Different Level
For Kent State student-athletes, the end of the calendar year means a break from classes and the ability to concentrate more on practicing, training and conditioning. But for the 29 student-athletes that began the semester as members of Kent State’s Honors College, the challenge of balancing high-level academics and athletics is what makes them tick.
Kent State’s Honors College recruits, challenges and supports the highest ability students from all majors at Kent State, which includes a sizable portion of Division I athletes from 10 different sports. Under the direction of Dr. Don Williams, membership requires a cumulative high school GPA of 3.60 along with requirements on ACT and SAT exams.
“I’m always struck by the fact that these students really want a challenge,” Williams said of student-athletes. “They’re not afraid of the additional work and the different quality of work that’s expected.”
Members of the Honors College may find themselves doing more research and independent studies than the typical student, but they also get an opportunity to “engage in discussions with other students and faculty members that’s at a higher level than what they would get in their regular classes,” according to Williams. In his 29th year at Kent State, Williams has witnessed the growth of thousands of students, but the mindset of the athletes in the Honors College is an area he’s particularly admired.
“Given the demands on their time, I’m always amazed,” Williams said. “They have so many constraints. They’re highly motivated, competitive and want personal challenge and I’m always impressed by that. Sometimes athletes are a natural fit for the program because they’re used to setting high expectations for themselves.”
Strong academic expectations have been a staple in a number of athletic programs at Kent State and in recent years, all coaches throughout the department have made academics a point of emphasis.
“Over the last decade, this has been a top priority for the department,” Williams said. “And it’s reflected at the spring academic awards. The number of student-athletes that have qualified for that has really grown and the average GPA for all teams combined is probably the highest it’s ever been.”
This past spring, former track & field and cross country runner Allison Krupko was among those accepting awards at the ceremony.
“Her academic potential was just outstanding,” Williams said.
Another former athlete that stood out to Williams was soccer player Jessica Brickman.
”I was always impressed by her because she had a lot of struggles with injuries,” Williams said. “To do what she did and get the grades that she did was outstanding. She had a very difficult major.”
One current Honors College member that Williams would like to get to know better is football quarterback Spencer Keith. Looking to attend medical school, Keith is among the many Honors College students who will need to maintain a high academic performance level to meet the high expectations he continues to set for himself.
Current Student Athletes in the Honors College include:
Baseball
Dan Slavick (St. Clairsville, Ohio)
Field Hockey
Abbie Carrico (Louisville, Ky.)
Rebecca Lee (Bathurst, Australia)
Chelsea Sickel (Plaistow, N.H.)
Amy Wimsatt (Louisville, Ky.)
Football
Xavier Douglas (Akron, Ohio)
Spencer Keith (Little Rock, Ark.)
Elias Sayre (Lebanon, Ohio)
Men’s Golf
Taylor Zoller (Charleston, S.C.)
Gymnastics
Felicia Charles (North Miami, Fla.)
Shelley Rider (Venetia, Pa.)
Lindsay Runyan (Maineville, Ohio)
Soccer
Megan Johnson (Erie, Pa.)
Renee Loya (Penn Hills, Pa.)
Hannah Newhouse (Strongsville, Ohio)
Christine Pellegrino (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Softball
Megan McCracken (Olathe, Kan.)
Women’s Track & Field
Elizabeth Clippinger (Newark, Ohio)
Danielle Dougherty (Peninsula, Ohio)
Roseanne Erickson (Alexandria, Minn.)
Paige Foster (Prior Lake, Minn.)
Sara Oczypok (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Volleyball
Jennifer Buczek (Orland Park, Ill.)
Wrestling
Tyler Buckwalter (Mill Hall, Pa.)
Andrew Candiello (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Michael Vollant (Erie, Pa,)
