March 17, 2010
Balancing Act: Maryville's Dual-Sport Athletes
Cory Scott, Eric Gruenewald and Tyler Saxton
Senior Cory Scott (Hannibal, Mo.) plays soccer in the fall and golf in the spring. In soccer, Scott ranks in three different Top Ten categories on Maryville's list of all-time career leaders. He is No. 3 in assists (14), No. 7 in goals (11), and tied for the tenth spot in games played (57).
For golf, highlights of his 2009 season included a tie for ninth spot at the Maryville Spring Invitational with a 79 and a 118th finish at the NCAA Championships.
"The best thing about being a two-sport athlete is that I am allowed to play my two favorite sports at a higher level," said Scott. When choosing a college, being able to play both sports was an important factor for him.
Scott has received many honors for his success away from the field as well. He was named to the Academic All-SLIAC team in 2008 for soccer and 2009 for golf. In 2009 he was named Second-team Academic All-District by ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) for soccer.
The accomplishments, academically and athletically, are results of hard work and good time management. For Scott, the two skill sets have always come naturally to him. Playing both sports in high school while getting good grades prepared him for the work it takes to excel in college.
"The way Maryville has its classes set up makes it easy to balance all my activities," continued Scott. "Since my sophomore year, I have not had classes on Fridays and I know that has helped me out a lot."
Seniors Tyler Saxton (Green Bay, Wis.) and Eric Gruenewald (Bonduel, Wis.) join Scott as fellow two-sport athletes. They are basketball teammates but play different spring sports. Gruenewald plays baseball, while Saxton participates in tennis.
Both stress the significance of good time management and good communication skills. These skills are especially important when the seasons overlap, as basketball does with baseball and tennis.
Gruenewald is a history major. He played basketball and baseball in high school, while earning good grades, so it was a natural tradition to continue playing both sports and balancing school in college.
"I am used to not sleeping," joked Gruenewald, who mentioned he spends time in the library to finish school work without distractions.
Joking aside, Gruenewald focuses on managing his time and working hard so he can keep everything balanced.
Saxton is a history education major who uses his time wisely. He recognizes that being a two-sport athlete does not mean missing out on other aspects of life.
"If you want to have a social life, you can," said Saxton, "but whenever you have free time, you have to be doing your homework...it's as easy as that."
Communication between coaches and student-athletes is crucial. Two-sport athletes play an important role in keeping the lines of communication open and having the support of coaches makes it easier to balance everything.
According to Gruenewald, the Maryville coaches understand the pressures of two-sport athletes. The Saints coaching staff's priority is their sport. At the same time, coaches are fairly flexible if he has to miss for his other sport.
"There are many benefits to coaching two-sport athletes. For instance, they tend to be more organized academically and reach a higher level of maturity more quickly," said former men's basketball head coach Matt Rogers.
Rogers coached Gruenewald for the past two season and Saxton for the past four. The duo had outstanding seasons this past winter as both started and played in 27 games which set a new single season school record.
Gruenewald lead the team in points per game (15.6) and rebounds per game (5.2). He recorded his first double-double against conference opponent Missouri S&T on Jan. 28 with 12 points and ten rebounds. He also recorded 25 steals which ranked second on the team to fellow dual-sport athlete Saxton.
Point guard Saxton finished first on the team in two categories: 37 steals and 118 assists.
Gruenewald plans to take his successes from the basketball court to the baseball field. He transferred to Maryville from St. Norbert College in Wisconsin last year to play basketball. He did not play baseball his freshman year of college and regretted it. After talking with baseball head coach Mike Sigler, he tried out for the team and made it.
"Eric is a bright and intelligent individual who excels in sports and in the classroom," said Sigler. He coached Gruenewald last season and will coach him this spring. Sigler has had no problem with him playing both sports because of how he balances everything.
Saxton started playing tennis last season under head Coach Jacob Yorg, who describes Saxton as "determined with a strong work ethic." According to Yorg, he brings an exciting competitive edge to the tennis courts.
"Tyler is unique because he comes from playing an outspoken team sport, basketball, to playing a quieter individual sport," said Yorg. "He is in-your-face competitive one minute and then cheering four courts down at a great shot from his teammate the next minute."
Seniors Scott, Gruenewald and Saxton are no strangers to pressure and hectic schedules on and off the sports surfaces. With hard work, good time management and excellent communication skills, the trio successfully keeps everything from schoolwork to competitions in balance.
Maryville also boasts two additional dual-sport athletes in freshman Andy Tipton (Quincy, Ill.) who plays soccer and tennis, sophomore Molli Updegraff (St. Peters, Mo.) and junior Stephanie Oldani (Fulton, Mo.) who compete in soccer and softball. With the return of men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field as a varsity sport in 2010-11, this number will most likely grow even more.
Contact: Brittany Willett, SID Student Assistant
