What It Means to Me to Compete at NCAA D3 Level
Kasey Gatson ’16 from Vandalia, Missouri (pictured above), is a captain on the 2014-15 Lady Blue Jays basketball team. Below, she shares what it means to be a student-athlete at Westminster and part of the number one Division III women’s basketball team in the nation for academic performance.
“Being academic national champions means I’m a part of something bigger than myself,” says Kasey. “I am accountable to my teammates to perform to the best of my ability in the classroom in order for our team to achieve its high goals. To the team it means we can achieve lofty goals when everyone does their part and pulls their weight, and it means we can be proud of our discipline and hard work because we did achieve our goal of #1 in the nation.”
“To be honest when I picked Westminster I didn’t really understand what Division 3 athletics entirely meant. I picked Division 3 because I knew I could compete at the collegiate level while maintaining a balance of school, family and friends in my life.
I understand more fully now the benefits of Division 3 athletics and how the emphasis placed on education will benefit me as I hang up my high top tennis shoes and enter the workforce.
Remaining an athlete continues to stretch me physically and mentally as I learn character values, discipline, sacrifice, team work and time management which will be of equal value to me when I enter the ‘real world.'”
The #1 academically ranked Lady Blue Jays were honored on Dec. 3 by the Missouri House and Senate for their national achievement.
