2008 Woodie Awards
SLU coaches raise the bar, urge their athletes to rise to the GPA occasion
Bringing back the student athlete
Dan Hunninghake
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: Sports
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Head women's soccer coach Tim Champion's policy for his student-athletes on the team is simple-if you don't go to class, then you don't play.
"Academics come first, and if they go to class, they are going to do really well," Champion said. "We are flexible with practice times so if player has a conflict here or there, we work it out so that they don't miss class."
But Champion has never had many problems with his players not making grades, as women's soccer led all other Saint Louis University sports last year with the highest number of Division-I athletes on the Atlantic-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll with 20.
Moreover, Champion's squads have had a history of success on both the pitch and in the classroom, as his teams have averaged a combined GPA of 3.5 in the last three to four years.
"The culture here is that academics are really important," he said. "They [athletes] have to be able to do both, and do both well, but we have a lot of kids that work hard, so we haven't had issues with academic eligibility in the past."
The Billikens have always posted good numbers with student-athletes making the Honor Roll, but 2007 saw 26 more athletes than the previous year.
Women's soccer is just one of the sports that contributes to SLU's history of excellence in the classroom, though. For the spring 2007 semester, SLU led all league schools with 123 student-athletes named to the aforementioned Honor Roll, as announced June 19 by A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno.
"It is an honor to recognize these student-athletes who truly exemplify what the college experience is all about," Bruno said. "Their commitment to excellence on and off the playing field is inspiring and should serve as an example to all."
Part of the reason why women's soccer and so many other sports have seen success with academics in addition to athletics is due to the emphasis that coaches put on what it means to be a student-athlete with their incoming recruits.
"Academics come first, and if they go to class, they are going to do really well," Champion said. "We are flexible with practice times so if player has a conflict here or there, we work it out so that they don't miss class."
But Champion has never had many problems with his players not making grades, as women's soccer led all other Saint Louis University sports last year with the highest number of Division-I athletes on the Atlantic-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll with 20.
Moreover, Champion's squads have had a history of success on both the pitch and in the classroom, as his teams have averaged a combined GPA of 3.5 in the last three to four years.
"The culture here is that academics are really important," he said. "They [athletes] have to be able to do both, and do both well, but we have a lot of kids that work hard, so we haven't had issues with academic eligibility in the past."
The Billikens have always posted good numbers with student-athletes making the Honor Roll, but 2007 saw 26 more athletes than the previous year.
Women's soccer is just one of the sports that contributes to SLU's history of excellence in the classroom, though. For the spring 2007 semester, SLU led all league schools with 123 student-athletes named to the aforementioned Honor Roll, as announced June 19 by A-10 commissioner Linda Bruno.
"It is an honor to recognize these student-athletes who truly exemplify what the college experience is all about," Bruno said. "Their commitment to excellence on and off the playing field is inspiring and should serve as an example to all."
Part of the reason why women's soccer and so many other sports have seen success with academics in addition to athletics is due to the emphasis that coaches put on what it means to be a student-athlete with their incoming recruits.
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