Mercy University athletes have made a name for themselves not just on the athletic field, but in the classroom.

Unsurprisingly, these athletes work hard on the field, but it becomes impressive that they work hard off the field to have high academic standings. Mercy University’s prestigious sports program has ten outstanding teams that play for the Mercy community. All ten teams have a GPA of 3.0 or over. They are currently ranked sixth in the NCAA and first in the conference. 

From a career standpoint, student-athletes maximize their education, making themselves well-rounded. If student-athletes have the talents to go out there and play, they can also go out there and strive in class, something they aim for with the right tools to execute.  

Mercy University Deputy Athletic Director Bill Sullivan gives all team-high praises on the performance of student-athletes for themselves and on making the department have a high standard of expectations. It shows the level of commitment each player has to the team and makes them acknowledge the passion these athletes have for any sport they play.  

Sullivan comments on the situation, “Having a good performance in the classroom gets an athlete on the field, so hat’s an A-plus, right? Having that puts you in an advantageous position on and off the field.” 

He said, ” You are maximizing your education and learning more. That is something we are excessively proud of here – the performance in the classroom.” 

Senior Associate Athletic Director Dawn Sachs gives her thoughts on the outgoing performances student-athletes have done for themselves. Since her arrival at Mercy, her focus has been wanting athletes to become better not only on the field but, most importantly, being more focused on the books as well.

“Our academics have been a strong priority since I arrived at Mercy. When I got here, we did not have a staff member assigned to that part of athletics, and I took it upon myself to input new policies and procedures that the athletes needed to abide by to participate. Once these were established, we saw a massive boost in our GPA. “

 Sachs has lofty expectations for the rankings to go up. “My reaction to being sixth in academics is the same as I would have a coach. Why not 1st? What can we do to get there?  

Two student-athletes on the men’s lacrosse team have also expressed their reactions and thoughts on student athletes’ academic performance.  

Mercy Graduate Justin Gerdvil sees the current standings of their successful academics as a process once getting used to tackling both worlds.

“We have mandatory study halls where we must do homework, and if you drop below a certain GPA, you will not be eligible to play, so I believe that motivates us players to do so well. Also, it is all about time management and getting work done between practices, lifting weights, film, and games.” 

Mercy Freshman Cameron Dorfman explained why student-athletes have a high academic ranking. From his experience, starting his first year in college can be challenging until he adjusts to the system. Getting adjusted while being an athlete can be tricky, but it was always easy for the first-year student.  

Dorfman stated, “The best way for me to balance out athletics and academics is to plan out my week and write down exactly what I have to do for that week. Usually, I try to do homework every other day for the day of and the day after, and for any extra time, I complete assignments in advance to keep my workload low. I also believe playing a sport gives you no other choice but to be good at balancing both; if you don’t perform in the classroom, you can’t compete on the field. Overall, time management is the most valuable tool while being a student-athlete, and trying your best to get things done in advance will help you succeed in both athletics and academics.” 

When you sense the hard work and dedication of the athletes who play for the Mercy community, it shows the love any player on each team has for the sport. It creates a critical balance between athletes doing what they love and staying consistent in the books for their future. A balance between academic pursuits and athletic commitments. These athletes need to pat themselves on the back because they worked hard. Being an athlete takes work. You can have the skills, but it is the obstacles that athletes tend to bump into. However, from the praise every team gets, the future of their academics seems very bright.