CU Student-Athletes on MEC Honor Roll

Concord’s mascot.

Photo Courtesy of wvliving.com

A number of Concord University Student-Athletes have been placed on the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Honor Roll. The MEC honor roll honors 56 student-athletes from men & women’s cross country, football, women’s golf, men and women’s soccer, women’s tennis and volleyball.

    Kat Walton, freshman at Concord University made the Commissioner’s Honor Roll this past fall while being involved in the Women’s Soccer team. “Playing soccer has made my first semester so much more fun. I’ve made great teammates who are supportive on and off the field,” said Walton. Having family, friends, and her coaches support her throughout her first semester as a full-time student and athlete has been a constant motivation and keeping her on her game. Although there have been times where balancing academics with sports, especially 6 A.M. practices Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Walton wouldn’t know where she would be without her sport. Soccer keeps her motivated, and focused. “Having a sport keeps you focused because when you have practice, you know you have to do your homework before. Without something to keep you busy, you end up telling yourself that you’ll do the homework later, and it just keeps getting put off,” Walton says. 

    Her overall best advice for anyone who may feel like they struggle balancing both is to “prioritize and discipline to get your work done.” Sophomore, Bailey Knowles at Concord University was also recognized this past fall semester with the Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Although she is in two sports at the university, both cross country in the fall, and indoor/outdoor track and field come winter and spring, she has learned to prioritize her time and become more self-disciplined. “Being an athlete has made staying on top of school work more difficult for a number of reasons. You miss classes during the week making it hard to catch up on notes or having to find time to make up tests, quizzes, or labs… However, in another sense being an athlete has also made me more self-disciplined because I have more motivation to be on top of my school work and studying in order to be stress free and get the amount of sleep necessary to be healthy and do well in my sport.” Knowles said. Her coach, Mike Cox, for cross country and track, has always motivated his athletes and encourages them to excel in their studies. “Coach Cox always says, ‘Education comes first, but our sports should be a very close second.’ He truly wants his athletes to succeed in both athletics and academics,” says Knowles.

    If any student-athlete other students who are involved in other curricular activities outside of the university finds they are struggling, not to be afraid to ask for help. Knowles suggests, “Find people on your team, in some of your classes or even in your major to keep in contact with. This always helps if you have someone you can text the night before to make sure you didn’t have anything due the next day in class. You can also study with these people for any tests or quizzes.” 

    Our sports teams at Concord have only continued to grow over the years, and are continuously exceeding the academic reputation placed upon them. Concord University students, and student-athletes are here to showcase their abilities and never cease to amaze the university and the community of their hard work.