Finding success as a college athlete both on the field and in the classroom is a challenge, but that hasn’t stopped three seniors on the Utah Tech University softball team from making huge academic strides.
Ellie Evans, Marisa Rubio and Carly Eldredge were three of the six players on the team who landed on the president’s list for the fall 2024 semester, meaning they maintained a 3.9-4.0 GPA. The team posted an overall GPA of 3.52, which falls in the middle of the pack among the other sports teams, and tied for second with the women’s track and field team for the number of athletes on the president’s list.
“It’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose motivation, but that’s just kind of where your discipline comes in,” Evans, a senior English major from Sammamish, Washington, said. “[With the] athlete mindset, not every day do you feel super energetic at practice, but you still have to get your work done. It’s the same thing in the classroom for us.”
On top of her English major, Evans is minoring in management and has earned a full-ride scholarship to law school at the University of San Diego. She said from the beginning of her academic journey, she knew law school was the end destination.
Evans originally started as a business major, but decided to switch to English with an emphasis in professional and technical writing and kept management as her minor. She said focusing on English has helped prepare her for law school and hopes to find success practicing law in the future.
Rubio, a senior communication studies major from Victorville, California, was in the same boat and originally began as a business major before switching to communication. Originally, she thought business would be a good degree to pursue, but changed her mind early on and made the switch.
“I was trying to think about what I really like to do and what I enjoy,” Rubio said. “I really do love the whole entertainment field in a sense. I wanted to pick communications because I feel like that’s really broad and I could take that anywhere. That’s why I did the minor in digital media. It’s something I can see myself doing after graduation.”
Rubio wants to take time to build up her resume before leaving St. George, and has plans to stay for another year after graduation to explore job options. She said she could see her work taking her back to California at some point and hopes to end up back home.
Eldredge, a senior biomedical major from Arvada, Colorado, had a different experience during her early years at college. She wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do, but her interest in math and science helped shape her path.
She took classes in various departments, initially majoring in engineering and taking a few art classes for fun. Eventually, she stepped away from engineering and took some inspiration from her sister, which prompted the switch.
“My sister was a biomed major as well,” she said. “So I thought that I would take a [anatomy] class to see if I liked it. Biology was kind of always where I felt the most comfortable.”
Another one of Eldredge’s loves is math, and she decided to minor in it since her major didn’t require more math classes, but her eyes are fixed on a future of practicing medicine.
“I kind of have geared everything that I want to do towards PA [physician assistant] school at the moment,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to be someone [who] can help others, and that’s what’s really pushing me to finish this degree strong. Hopefully, I’ll be applying to PA schools in August, and I hope to start next fall.”
These accomplishments seem more impressive when sized up to the challenges of playing Division I sports, but these players’ stories show how anyone can find success in a busy and often difficult schedule. The future is bright for these softball seniors, and all three are excited to see where their academics will take them. In the meantime, there are still a few weeks remaining in the softball season, and their schedule can be found here.
