The Midwest Conference Elite 20 Award is presented to the athlete who earns the highest GPA in their respective sport at their Conference champion competition. It’s an impressive accomplishment for the individual and an honor for the team, as well as a source of pride for the student-athlete’s school.
This fall, three Lake Forest student-athletes were recognized for their academic prowess. Vincent Wallace (football), Paityn Tabor (women’s soccer), and Natalia Leite (women’s tennis) all earned their sport’s Elite 20 Award. Most recently, Graeme Witte (men's swimming and diving) earned the award in February.
Student-athletes have many demands on their time from practices to competitions to, of course, class, labs, homework, and labs. All students at Lake Forest work hard to earn their grades, and on top of all the hard work they do in the classroom, Forester athletes also dedicate time and energy in their respective sports. To balance both and do both well, as these three student-athletes do, is a great feat.
“I think one of the most important things is being able to manage your time well and use your time efficiently,” said Wallace when asked about how he balances football and academics. “I like to work throughout the day in the library in between my classes to try and get assignments done, and I always go to the quiet study area in the basement of the library because I know I can focus and study efficiently there.”
"I do not believe that there is a “one size fits all” strategy for balancing both athletics and academics," said Witte when asked how he balanced his athletic and academic commitments. "Efficiency is important, especially with the limited time that you have. As you mature, and gain more experience under your belt, you begin to learn the strategies that work best for you. Making sure that you stay on-top of things isn’t easy, but having some sort of a planner was vital to help me keep track of everything that was going on, and helped me keep track of due dates, homework, etc.
"I think it is also important to listen to your body, in the sense that while studying and preparing for the day is important, you should always make time for things that you enjoys – outside of academics and athletics," he added.
There’s a lot that can be learned from being a student athlete, and the skills that Foresters learn during their time at the College are ones they can carry with them when they graduate and begin their careers. “The most important thing that I have learned is time management and how to be disciplined,” said Tabor. She continued, “Soccer adds great structure to my life but is also a huge time commitment. Due to this, I had to learn very quickly how to manage my time regarding my schoolwork. It taught me to not procrastinate and leave everything to the last minute.”
All athletes have their keys to success, and Leite is no different. When asked what she sees as her biggest keys to success are she said, “I would say that the desire to be great in whatever I do and willingness to go the extra mile to achieve my objectives. Sometimes, I’ve had to “miss out” on some experiences to do what is necessary to achieve my long-term goals.”