The Citadel -NCAA D1 Varsity Athlete Selected for US Space Force - cadet profile

[glen]

A lot of high school students wonder if playing an NCAA sport at the D1 level and doing ROTC in college may be too difficult. I think experience shows many for many NCAA sports, athletes do just fine. The attached article profiles a Citadel NCAA D1 varsity volleyball player, and member of The Citadel Air Force ROTC program, who was selected for the Space Force. She spent spent the summer of her Junior year at Maxwell Air Force Base and Patrick Space Force Base. See cadet profile article at:

From Star Wars to Space Force; a galaxy far, far away inspires Citadel volleyball player - The Citadel Today

Sadie Gomez, a junior at The Citadel, spent nearly a month this past summer at Maxwell Air Force and Patrick Space Force bases.

today.citadel.edu

 

[TBVADAD]

A lot of high school students wonder if playing an NCAA sport at the D1 level and doing ROTC in college may be too difficult. I think experience shows many for many NCAA sports, athletes do just fine. The attached article profiles a Citadel NCAA D1 varsity volleyball player, and member of The Citadel Air Force ROTC program, who was selected for the Space Force. She spent spent the summer of her Junior year at Maxwell Air Force Base and Patrick Space Force Base. See cadet profile article at:

From Star Wars to Space Force; a galaxy far, far away inspires Citadel volleyball player - The Citadel Today

Sadie Gomez, a junior at The Citadel, spent nearly a month this past summer at Maxwell Air Force and Patrick Space Force bases.

today.citadel.edu

I think it depends as always on the young man or woman. Let's be honest freshman year is hard for them. Mom and Dad aren't there to cook and clean. You're on coach and cadre time.

It can be done but requires time management.

As someone I think said here before. There is ROTC/Academics, Sports, and Social life. You can only do 2 out of 3.

DS played Div 2 and ROTC. He was constantly up to 11pm or so doing homework. He would do ROTC workout and then team lifts. Get a bite to eat and then camp in the athletic dept building doing homework or a project.

Teammates when were out partying. He was doing labs or FTXs.

 

[glen]

I think it depends as always on the young man or woman. Let's be honest freshman year is hard for them. Mom and Dad aren't there to cook and clean. You're on coach and cadre time.

It can be done but requires time management.

As someone I think said here before. There is ROTC/Academics, Sports, and Social life. You can only do 2 out of 3.

DS played Div 2 and ROTC. He was constantly up to 11pm or so doing homework. He would do ROTC workout and then team lifts. Get a bite to eat and then camp in the athletic dept building doing homework or a project.

Teammates when were out partying. He was doing labs or FTXs.

I have been volunteering for our admissions office for 25 years, and find most NCAA athletes do well even with ROTC, academic, Corps and athletic duties. They learn time management early. I also think “social” life pressures are less of an issue at SMCs than at civilian colleges. “Social” life and peer pressure to go off campus is pretty limited. Most 1st and 2d year cadets at The Citadel are in their rooms or library for mandatory study hours Sunday - Thursday evenings. Juniors and seniors have limited off campus leave during the week mostly for internships. And NCAA athletes have coaches academic help and upper class mentors keeping watch on their grades. At The Citadel, the overall GPA of NCAA D1 athletes was 3.18 vs the Corps overall average of 3.1 in 2022/23 academic year. Average GPA for the football team was 2.91, basketball was 3.37, baseball was 3.96. Volleyball average was 3.5 (the cadet profiled is a junior on the volleyball team which won the Southern Conference title her sophomore year). My view.