UMW Colleagues,
Today we begin a weeklong recognition of UMW’s student-athletes as we celebrate the NCAA’s Division III week, April 4-10! Athletics is an important component of life at the University of Mary Washington and each day this week we will be featuring comments from student-athletes competing in various sports. UMW student-athletes play for the love of the game—they do not receive athletic scholarships.
Each day different student-athletes will be featured.
Stefannie Asselanis is a senior softball player from Richmond. She is majoring in math and secondary education. When asked why she chose to attend UMW and play softball for a DIII school, she replied:
I chose to be a student-athlete at the University of Mary Washington because from the time I first stepped foot on this campus, I knew that this was the perfect school for me. Mary Washington is known for its high level of academics. The normal class size at Mary Washington is relatively small, which allowed me to be a part of the class discussion instead of just a student among a hundred others. With the small class sizes, I was able to develop personal relationships with my professors, where they encouraged me to succeed, whether in the classroom or on the field. As well as being a great academic school, Mary Washington is also in a challenging softball conference. Being a Division III student-athlete is about commitment and determination. As a Division III student-athlete, I am committed to the softball team and we are all determined to be one of the best teams in our conference. Playing softball for the University of Mary Washington has allowed me to receive a high quality education while still competing at the collegiate level playing the game I love. It’s a great day to be an eagle!
Thank you, Stefanie, and all of our UMW student-athletes who are here first and foremost to receive a quality liberal arts-focused education but who also compete for UMW in their chosen sports.
IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE AN EAGLE!
Thank you for your support of UMW Athletics.
Lynne Richardson
Faculty Athletic Representative
Dean, College of Business
University of Mary Washington
