KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — As fall sports begin, so does the focus on the mental health of student-athletes.
From high school to college, these students juggle school work and sports while trying to keep up with good mental health.
According to the NCAA, in 2022 there were 530,000 college athletes and nearly eight million high school athletes. Last year, they said about 30% of student-athletes experience mental health challenges.
High school athletes can be worried about earning a scholarship to college, while college athletes may be focused on things like Name Image and Likeness or their status in the transfer portal. With that, professional sports mental health counselors like Olivia Woody from Marshall University’s “BE HERD” program said both groups have common ground.
Woody said the best way to cope with the stress is to set a goal.
“Start the day with what am I thankful for, and making small goals for that day,” she said. “Make it something attainable. It could be for volleyball having two spikes for the day or going to class on time”.
College athletes have another layer that helps them cope. Kiersten Eggleton from the West Virginia State University’s volleyball team said time management and breathing exercises help.
“Staying ahead of what my assignments are and if I am feeling stressed I focus on deep breathing exercises – trying not to get my heart too high,” Eggleton said.
Her teammate, Milla Smith, is a freshman and is ready to work on the sport and academic balance too.
“I’m kinda scared to see what happens,” Smith said. “I think I’ll be OK, I’ll find my own techniques to juggle things and make sure I’m staying focused and on track.”
Starting early with that positive attitude toward good mental health also goes a long way to a good balance.
“Starting the mental health journey early with high school, even middle school, that way hopefully if they do get a chance to play at college they’ll be more prepared and that sigma will be less by the time they get there and have a coach that buys into the mental health aspect,” Woody said.
Coach Avery Moore also has an action plan for her players on the WVSU volleyball team.
“I tell them to write a mental, physical and gratitude goal,” she said. “It’s a way to open up and share what’s going on off the court because I know it can impact them coming into practice everyday.”
Ryan Majher from the Marshall University Counseling Center tells student-athletes to keep talking to professionals about whatever is happening in their lives.
“It doesn’t have to be a major psychological mental health diagnosis, it can be something different that you’re going through,” he said.
As for players like Eggleton and Smith, they’re ready for a positive season both on and off the court.
“We’re going to win a lot of games and be one big happy team,” Smith said.
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