Feb. 3, 2009

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

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In the 2007-2008 academic year Stony Brook Athletics' 425 student-athletes posted an all-time best 3.06 grade point average, 235 Seawolves were named to the America East Academic honor roll and for the first time in school history a student-athlete was named the University's valedictorian.

That student-athlete was Sara Cerrone '08, who completed her undergraduate studies as a biology major with a perfect 4.0 GPA while captaining the Seawolves softball team to an America East Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Cerrone has since moved on to Stony Brook medical school where she joined two other former student-athletes - Eugene Pietzak `06 and Jessica Gleason `06 - on the path to becoming doctors.

Pietzak, who majored in biochemistry and minored in English literature, was an offensive lineman for the Seawolves football team and a member of the 2005 NEC championship team. Gleason, who had a double major in pharmacology and French Language and Literature, spent four years swimming for the Seawolves specializing in the butterfly events.

We recently sat down with the three former student-athletes to discuss the challenges they faced while balancing the demands of being a Division I athlete with the rigors of a challenging class schedule.

"Honestly my GPA was almost always better first semester when we were in heavy training as opposed to second semester which was mostly the off-season," said Gleason. "You just learn that your time is limited and you have to deal with that reality, so you can't put anything off. Additionally, I think the key is to really like what you do, both in athletics and academics. Practices are long, but ultimately you want to be there. Classes are hard, but somewhere, deep underneath all the stress, you find them interesting."

"It required a lot of time management," according to Cerrone. "I always took books with me on the road while we traveled and would get up early to get work done before practice and games. I felt bad for my roommates, but I wanted to do well and knew I had to put in the extra effort to be successful."

Studies have shown that former student-athletes are able to use their experience in athletics to their advantage in their professional careers. While this particular trio are not quite at the end of their academic careers yet, their experience as student-athletes has certainly helped prepare them for the rigors of their new academic pursuits. "I have learned more from being on the football field than I did from being in any classroom," said Pietzak. "That is the great thing about sports; often the same habits learned through athletics are applicable to other facets of life, academics included. All those clichéd habits like perseverance, hard-work, etc. are really true."

Gleason credits her life as a swimmer with solidifying her confidence level. "The time management skills you learn as a student athlete are second to none, but I think the biggest contribution athletics had on my education was confidence," she said. "You don't make it to compete at a Division I level without ever having lost a race, but more importantly you don't make it to a higher level without having gotten back on the blocks. I think I learned how to deal with setbacks and to view them more as recommendations to inform my decisions in the future rather than personal affronts."

Cerrone echoed those same thoughts. "Athletics pushed me mentally and physically and I was able to realize that I was capable of more than I ever thought," she remarked. "When facing challenging topics in school or when having a crazy schedule where I didn't know if I would have time to get to all my school work, athletics taught me to be confident in myself and also taught me to push myself." Not only did competition and hard work at practice or in the weight room play their parts in preparing these Seawolves for medical school, the supports from teammates, coaches and staff played a role as well. "So many people within the athletic department have positively impacted my life that it would be impossible to give them all the credit they deserve here," said Pietzak. "During my athletic career I had the privilege of having coaches and teammates who were full of character. The attitude we had was that we could accomplish anything we wanted, on and off field, so long as we were willing to put in the work. Being a part of the football team kept my life balanced and made my undergraduate years an incredible experience that I will never forget."

"The athletic department always puts academics first," added Gleason. "I was never put in a position to have to choose between my sport and my education. It was always evident that student comes before athlete."

Knowing that a medical career was a possibility, there were many challenges and obstacles that faced the group as they balanced a demanding academic and athletic schedule. But the group persevered, knowing that they had help if they needed it. "I never felt like quitting athletics or changing my major," said Cerrone. "But I did face some difficult times where I was stressed and didn't know how I was going to make it through, but I relied on the support of my parents, sister and brother, teammates and friends. They knew how important school and athletics were to me and when I was feeling down they didn't let me quit.

"I considered quitting football almost every day during pre-season camp," remembered Pietzak. "August was always a miserable month for me. Stubbornness kept me on the team during my freshman year. But, in subsequent years it was my teammates that kept me going. Going through the same challenges with them helped to develop an "us versus them" mentality that built the type of friendships that made even the toughest two-a-day practices more endurable."

Their experiences as undergraduates at Stony Brook were so positive; it was an easy choice when it came time to choose a school for the next step in their academic careers. "I'd built a life for myself at Stony Brook, which I am proud of, so I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to continue my education here," remarked Gleason. "Being at a medical school attached to a major university holds so many advantages both academically and recreationally. Also, I'd been highly intertwined with the hospital side of campus my last two years of undergrad and was impressed with all the basic science and clinical research opportunities. I knew how gifted and devoted to teaching the faculty members are, so I felt very confident that I would get a quality education at Stony Brook."

"I had such a positive experience during my undergraduate and I didn't want to let it go just yet," said Cerrone. "I loved the academic program and the professors at the medical school and still wanted to maintain the friendships I had built. I also wanted to be able to watch the softball team play now as an alumnus."

One area in which you will find a difference between the three is what their plans are for their futures in medicine. "I am not sure exactly what type of doctor I plan on becoming but right now I am very interested in orthopedics and sports medicine," said Cerrone.

Gleason is leaning towards anesthesiology, while Pietzak is not quite sure of his future yet. "My plans for the future change from week to week so it is difficult to say", he said. "As an ex-athlete I often get stereotyped as a future orthopedic surgeon; thus far I have been able to resist it. For now I am just trying to stay open minded to such a diverse medical field."

Having successfully navigated the waters of their undergraduate careers, the group is willing to give advice to those that choose to follow in their footsteps. "Have clearly defined goals," said Pietzak. "Be sure your behaviors match your goals. Find a good balance between athletics, academics, and having a social life; it is a very long path you might as well enjoy it."

"Use your resources, don't be afraid to ask for help, and ultimately don't be afraid to do your own thing," said Gleason. "Everyone thinks what they did is the right answer because it worked for them, but you've already learned in your science classes that one result isn't enough to draw a conclusion. Input is valuable, but it's your interpretation and synthesis of the information that is going to make or break you. There's no magic formula, which is both wonderful and scary. There are no guarantees, but there are also no wrong answers."

"Do not let anyone ever tell you that it is not possible or that you should just give up," adds Cerrone. "Athletics is a big time commitment, but it teaches such valuable lessons. Being a student-athlete is looked highly upon by the admissions committees, but more importantly it teaches you a lot about yourself and your capabilities and it prepares you for life after school. Being a successful student and a successful athlete can go hand in hand, you don't have to sacrifice one for the other."