by Nicole Praga, SDA Communications Graduate Assistant
Student-athletes at Arizona State University spend countless hours on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom. Nearly 70 of them add to this challenge by being members of Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, one of the preeminent honors colleges in the nation.
In 2015, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni called Barrett "the gold standard" among honors colleges in the nation. Students, especially student-athletes, feel they have the "best of both worlds" as they enjoy the Research 1 and Pac-12 environment of ASU, all while having the advantage of living and learning in a community of motivated students.
"It's great to have so many student-athletes [in Barrett] for the same reason it is great to have so many top engineering students or artists," said Mark Jacobs, Dean of Barrett, the Honors College. "Barrett accepts undergraduates who care about doing their activities at the highest level, so having such a diverse array performing at the highest level indicates that Barrett and ASU are achieving the exact community we desire. The community has always included great athletes."
Kansas City native Kristina Coppinger of the Sun Devil lacrosse team echoed Dean Jacobs' thoughts and said she chose to be in the honors college because she wanted to challenge herself and be in an environment of people who put in their best work and push her to be better.
"Being a student-athlete in Barrett is humbling because everyone in Barrett has a talent and chose the honors college because they wanted to foster and share that talent with the ASU community," Coppinger said.
"The support in the Barrett community is also why I chose Barrett and ASU in general. The resources for students are unmatched and make me feel at home in this hot little desert in Arizona," she added.
43 percent of 2016-17 Barrett graduates went on to employment post-graduation while 38 percent went to pursue a graduate studies program. Some Sun Devil student-athletes cited the professional development aspect of the honors college as important to them.
"The honors college program promotes a deeper level of understanding in your field and interest areas," said redshirt senior cross country runner John Reniewicki. "This is something I have been challenged by but enjoyed in my experience in Barrett."
"Barrett has given me a great opportunity to interact more with professors than the average student," said 2017 Pac-12 heavyweight champion wrestler Tanner Hall. "As I complete my honors credit assignments I get an almost behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to study in these various fields and what it would be like to work in them one day. Even though it can be tough, being an honors college student is also very rewarding."
Barrett tops Stanford, MIT and Duke in number of National Merit scholars recruited to the university and enrolls more National Hispanic scholars than any other institution.
"Being a student-athlete in Barrett is definitely a challenge but it has pushed me to expand my critical thinking and has given me the opportunity to seek an even higher understanding of subjects as I continue along the path to achieve my goals," said Campbell Poe. "I chose to be in the honors college because I wanted to really challenge myself to expand my knowledge to its full extent. I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity that ASU offered and Barrett was one that I couldn't pass up."
Students in Barrett take extra coursework and complete a thesis by senior year to graduate with honors.
The 2017-18 school year's 68 student-athletes in Barrett beat out last year's record of 61.
2017 Sun Devil Student-Athletes in Barrett
Cross Country: John Nelson, John Reniewicki
Football: Bailey Huggins, Nick Ralston, Owen Rogers, Corey Stephens, Brady White, Kyle Williams
Swim and Dive: Aaron Beauchamp, Kevin Benavidez, Graham Hauss, Grant House, Sarah Bathe, Morgan Tamisiea
Men's Tennis: Carsyn Smith
Track and Field: Adam Meyer, Michael Renner, Alexander Stevens, Michael Titherington, Kaylee Antill, Vanessa Davis, Anastasia Hancock, Alexis Nichols, Samantha Noennig, Megan Reniewicki, Sophia Saitta
Wrestling: Jack Duval, Tanner Hall, Michael Oramas, Jacen Petersen, William Pickren, Conner Small
Women's Basketball: Jamie Ruden, Robbi Ryan
Gymnastics: Corinne Belkoff, Jessica Ginn, Katelyn Lentz, Heather Udowitch
Lacrosse: Kristina Coppinger, Kasey Geddis, Haley Gorke, Katie Hendrix, Madelyn Hunter, Ashley McNeill, Campbell Poe, Daniela Wright
Softball: Miranda Farricker, Isabella Loomis
Soccer: Gabrielle Briseno, Christina Edwards, Jessica Hale, Samantha Hobert, Aubree Incardone, Amanda Jones, Jadyn Nogues, Jessica Raybe, Madison Stark, Natalie Stephens
Triathlon: Delaney Bucker, Rebecca Naughton, Lillie Robinson, Kenzi Wilson
Beach Volleyball: Cierra Flood, Frances Giedraitis, Ellyson Lundberg, Cassidy Schilling, Kara Woodard
Water Polo: Rosemary Huck
Student-athletes at Arizona State University spend countless hours on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom. Nearly 70 of them add to this challenge by being members of Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, one of the preeminent honors colleges in the nation.
In 2015, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni called Barrett "the gold standard" among honors colleges in the nation. Students, especially student-athletes, feel they have the "best of both worlds" as they enjoy the Research 1 and Pac-12 environment of ASU, all while having the advantage of living and learning in a community of motivated students.
"It's great to have so many student-athletes [in Barrett] for the same reason it is great to have so many top engineering students or artists," said Mark Jacobs, Dean of Barrett, the Honors College. "Barrett accepts undergraduates who care about doing their activities at the highest level, so having such a diverse array performing at the highest level indicates that Barrett and ASU are achieving the exact community we desire. The community has always included great athletes."
Nick Ralston is in @BarrettHonors and has a perfect 4.0 GPA! In addition to pursuing his degree in finance, he is a RB for @FootballASU. pic.twitter.com/t0uON1CWwR
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) September 12, 2017
Kansas City native Kristina Coppinger of the Sun Devil lacrosse team echoed Dean Jacobs' thoughts and said she chose to be in the honors college because she wanted to challenge herself and be in an environment of people who put in their best work and push her to be better.
"Being a student-athlete in Barrett is humbling because everyone in Barrett has a talent and chose the honors college because they wanted to foster and share that talent with the ASU community," Coppinger said.
"The support in the Barrett community is also why I chose Barrett and ASU in general. The resources for students are unmatched and make me feel at home in this hot little desert in Arizona," she added.
??: @corinnebelkoff reflects on her recent studies abroad in London??????: https://t.co/OBQepe3IGC pic.twitter.com/CL8OvZ0b23
— ASU Gymnastics (@ASUGymnastics) July 17, 2017
43 percent of 2016-17 Barrett graduates went on to employment post-graduation while 38 percent went to pursue a graduate studies program. Some Sun Devil student-athletes cited the professional development aspect of the honors college as important to them.
Putting the student in student-athlete.@kylewilliamsVI shadowing doctors at the Mayo Clinic, preparing for a future as a podiatrist. pic.twitter.com/UwSrCLv6JO
— Sun Devil Football (@FootballASU) November 3, 2017
"The honors college program promotes a deeper level of understanding in your field and interest areas," said redshirt senior cross country runner John Reniewicki. "This is something I have been challenged by but enjoyed in my experience in Barrett."
ASU student triathlete wants to build wins — and machines | @naughton16 | #SunDevilScholars https://t.co/g9gAmTWqNH pic.twitter.com/nGCjIFezve
— Sun Devil Triathlon (@sundeviltri) August 23, 2017
"Barrett has given me a great opportunity to interact more with professors than the average student," said 2017 Pac-12 heavyweight champion wrestler Tanner Hall. "As I complete my honors credit assignments I get an almost behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to study in these various fields and what it would be like to work in them one day. Even though it can be tough, being an honors college student is also very rewarding."
"I could not be more grateful to have had such an incredible academic adventure." @heat_udowitch talks ????
— ASU Gymnastics (@ASUGymnastics) July 26, 2017
??: https://t.co/OGLF9BwD3d pic.twitter.com/twiz3vJLbP
Barrett tops Stanford, MIT and Duke in number of National Merit scholars recruited to the university and enrolls more National Hispanic scholars than any other institution.
"Being a student-athlete in Barrett is definitely a challenge but it has pushed me to expand my critical thinking and has given me the opportunity to seek an even higher understanding of subjects as I continue along the path to achieve my goals," said Campbell Poe. "I chose to be in the honors college because I wanted to really challenge myself to expand my knowledge to its full extent. I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity that ASU offered and Barrett was one that I couldn't pass up."
STUDENT-athletes ????
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) September 12, 2017
When @JRuden52 and @rryan_44 aren't tearing it up on the court, they're working hard at @barretthonors! pic.twitter.com/j7OjzObg6s
Students in Barrett take extra coursework and complete a thesis by senior year to graduate with honors.
The 2017-18 school year's 68 student-athletes in Barrett beat out last year's record of 61.
2017 Sun Devil Student-Athletes in Barrett
Cross Country: John Nelson, John Reniewicki
Football: Bailey Huggins, Nick Ralston, Owen Rogers, Corey Stephens, Brady White, Kyle Williams
Swim and Dive: Aaron Beauchamp, Kevin Benavidez, Graham Hauss, Grant House, Sarah Bathe, Morgan Tamisiea
Men's Tennis: Carsyn Smith
Track and Field: Adam Meyer, Michael Renner, Alexander Stevens, Michael Titherington, Kaylee Antill, Vanessa Davis, Anastasia Hancock, Alexis Nichols, Samantha Noennig, Megan Reniewicki, Sophia Saitta
Wrestling: Jack Duval, Tanner Hall, Michael Oramas, Jacen Petersen, William Pickren, Conner Small
Women's Basketball: Jamie Ruden, Robbi Ryan
Gymnastics: Corinne Belkoff, Jessica Ginn, Katelyn Lentz, Heather Udowitch
Lacrosse: Kristina Coppinger, Kasey Geddis, Haley Gorke, Katie Hendrix, Madelyn Hunter, Ashley McNeill, Campbell Poe, Daniela Wright
Softball: Miranda Farricker, Isabella Loomis
Soccer: Gabrielle Briseno, Christina Edwards, Jessica Hale, Samantha Hobert, Aubree Incardone, Amanda Jones, Jadyn Nogues, Jessica Raybe, Madison Stark, Natalie Stephens
Triathlon: Delaney Bucker, Rebecca Naughton, Lillie Robinson, Kenzi Wilson
Beach Volleyball: Cierra Flood, Frances Giedraitis, Ellyson Lundberg, Cassidy Schilling, Kara Woodard
Water Polo: Rosemary Huck