USD Softball 1999

USD Athletic Support Programs

11

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

"Student-athletes face unique challenges and time demands. Our academic support center has been designed to be proactive in helping them achieve their goals and main– tain a high standard of academic achievement. Whether it be advis– ing, tutoring,or just a quiet place to study, I encourage them to take ad– vantage ofall the resources that are available. I promote an interactive approach to learning and the estab– lishment ofa strong foundation early in their academic career. I believe thatdevelopingpositiveattitudes, hab– its, and behaviors duringcollegewill contribute to lifelong success both on and offthe field."

Sara Hickmann is in her second year as Coordinator of Ath letic Academic Support at the University of San Diego . The USO Athl etic Academic Support Program is designed to assist and moti– vate student-athletes in theirjourney and prog ress towards the ir academi c goals, and ultimate ly graduation . The primary obj ecti ve is to improve the student-ath– letes' study ski lls, support them in the ir academ ic work , and encourage scholas– ti c achi evement. It is essenti a l that stu– den t-athl etes rece ive the necessary aca– demi c assis tance to con tinue norma l progress toward a degree whil e partici – pating in ath leti cs.

Sara Hickmann

USO student-athl etes rece ive ass istance through adv isi ng, progress re– ports, academi c tuto rs, campus learning centers, such as the Logic, Math, and Writing Cente rs, and the Accelera ted Study Program. The Acce lerated Study Prog ram provides a monitored, qui et area open onl y to the student– ath letes to ensure qua lity study time. These serv ices are avail ab le to a ll US O student-athl etes. STRENGTH& CONDITIONING The USO strength and cond iti oning program is under the d irec ti on of Steve Brown who is in hi s fo urth year. It has been des igned to deve lop fun cti ona l strength , speed, power and endurance. The deve lopment of these phys ica l attributes is use less to the athletes unl ess it can be caiTied onto the p lay ing fi e ld . Therefore, adhering to a properl y des igned prog ram of strength tra ining, cond iti oning and nutriti on can enable our men and women to become the best poss ib le ath letes they can be, whil e simultaneous ly reducing the inc idence of injury.

"I look forward to training all USD student-athletes and hope to establish a sense ofpride and com– mitment to the strength and condi– tioning program. The area of strength and conditioning has be– come increasingly more scientific in recent years. I plan to utilize the latest research in this field to fully cultivate the athletic potential ofour athletes." Steve Brown

USO student-athl e tes receive intensive instruction on proper weight tra ini ng techni que; speed, power and ag i Ii ty deve lopment; and spo rt-spec ific conditi oning. The ir strength and conditioning programs are spec ific to the nature ofthe ir sport or posi ti on. Each athl ete is indi vi dually monitored th roughout the ir program to ensure the g rea test chance of athletic progress.

Both coaches and student-ath letes had ve ry pos iti ve reviews from the first two seasons.

Steve was named as the 1998 Nationa l Strength and Conditi oning Assoc iati on Profess iona l of the Yea r fo r the West Coas t Conference.

1999 University of San Diego Toreros Women's Softball Media Guide