Benilde-St. Margaret’s is home to many student-athletes, and a handful of them are playing at the Division One level after high school. Junior Olivia Olson is committed to the University of Michigan for girls’ basketball, and senior Easton Breyfogle is committed to the University of Arizona for baseball. Olson, Breyfogle, and boys’ basketball captain Jalen Wilson have shared some insights about how they manage their time between school and sports.

These students explained how the most difficult part about being a student-athlete is staying on top of schoolwork while balancing games and practices. They mentioned how it’s hard to come home from a long day of school and practice and stay motivated to finish their homework. Still, they expressed how school always comes before sports, so they must prioritize taking care of their academics and managing their time well. “If I use work time wisely and free hours wisely, then I rarely have out-of-school homework, so I can stay on top of my work,” Olson said in a Snapchat interview.

Student-athletes spend hours training to improve their skills. Because of this, they focus on adequately fueling their bodies and getting enough sleep every night. “I train Monday through Friday and train on Sunday sometimes also. Overall usually 4 hours a day of training… I try to get nine hours of sleep every night which helps when you have to wake up at 6:30 AM for school and then play a game later that night,” Breyfogle said in a Snapchat interview.

These athletes mentioned how they have been taught to fuel their bodies with healthy foods instead of junk because what they eat affects their energy levels and performance. “To prepare for a game [the night before] I eat pasta and chicken. I eat that because carbs give me energy and protein helps maintain my muscle and give me longer energy to help me perform better,” Olson said.

Having free time is something these student-athletes expressed their appreciation for because it’s not something they get often. Taking care of mental health is proven to be important in the lives of athletes, which is why having time away from their sport is needed at times. “When I have nothing to do though, I like to go home and just do nothing because I don’t get to do ‘nothing’ very often,” Wilson said in a Snapchat interview.