DVC Athletics advocate overall academic success

Collegiate athletes are not exempt from academic responsibilities.

Here at Diablo Valley College, coaches expect their players to excel not only as athletes, but as students also. Talent does not determine your eligibility to play, academics do.

There are plenty of resources on campus for athletes to fulfill theiracademic requirements. Coaches are more than happy to work with players to ensure they are successful in doing so.

Head football coach Mike Darr offers his players help whenever they are in need.

"If they have a test, paper or presentation coming up, they have the ability to bounce ideas off me," Darr said. "We take all the new players in our program and meet with them one on one to avoid any problems with academics."

For some athletes, it is tough to find a balance between schoolwork and their sport. Being acollege athlete requires you to stay on top of your studies, while practicing almost everyday and traveling long distances for games.

Playing men's water polo at DVC requires trips all over the country. The players are in charge of managing their studies on these trips and head coach John Roemer says they do not have any trouble doing so.

"Every single kid I have had in six years has transferred to a four year school," Roemer said. "It's all about getting to the next level."

Roemer expects his players to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, while many other sports require their players to hold a 2.0. Last year, his team's average GPA was a 3.5.

Mihailo Vuja, who plays right flat on the men's water polo team, spoke about the academic requirements to play on the team.

"One of the major things for our team is having a really high GPA, both of our coaches really stress the importance of it." Vuja said.

Darr feels as though his athletes need to work as hard in the classroom as they would on the football field.

"They are not here just to catch touchdown passes; they are here to be complete student athletes," he said.

STORY BY ZACHARY DALTON

PHOTO TAKEN BY ANDREW BARBER

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http://www.dvcinquirer.com/sports/2014/09/23/dvc-athletics-advocates-overall-academic-success/