Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Getting it done on the field and in the classroom

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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Knight, Turner excel in and out of the classroom


-Karel plans on a summer of hard work


-Baseball survives a "scorcher" in Tucson


We refer to college kids who participate in sports as student-athletes. Sometimes, we stress the athlete part of this term much more than the academic accomplishments, but the two go hand-in-hand for the thousands of young men and women who combine the rigors of the classroom along with the training and conditioning involved in their chosen sports. 


Today we bring you three examples of success inside and out of the classroom. 

Holly Knight ended up at Louisville as a graduate student after attending Auburn University and compiling a 3.96 GPA. Her year with the Cards has been a successful one...setting school records in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs and qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Her latest accolade is being named a Capital One Academic All-District Track and Field Team honoree. 


She'll compete at Drake Stadium with five other teammates at the NCAA Championships from June 6-9. In the classroom, she's working toward her doctorate in psychology and has a 3.93 GPA and Dean's List achievements.

Hayley Turner was the 2011 BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year for the Field Hockey Cards and led Louisville in scoring this season. 


Off the field, she has been selected to the Capital One CoSIDA Academic 
All-District II at-large team and is eligible for Academic All-American squad consideration. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Education and Community Health after graduating Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor's degree in public health education. She is also a four-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association Academic Squad selection. 

You won't see his name in any of the Centre College record books for soccer and he'll probably never grab the headlines on the sports page, but Andrew "Andy" Karel is a shining example of the student-athletes who toil in and out of the classroom in virtual anonymity. They put in the same long hours as the starters, study just as hard and buy in to the team concept on the field and the quest for academic excellence off it.  


Karel was an All-State Academic selection his senior year at North Oldham High School and the team's leading scorer his junior and senior years. When he got to Centre, his role changed a bit...becoming a mid-fielder and defender. His work ethic has remained the same, however. 

He plans on spending this summer before his senior year in a co-op program with Creative Alliance. The knowledge and training he'll receive will be valuable in his pursuit of a degree in Finance at Centre. He'll also train and condition for his senior season as one of the Colonels soccer team members. 


Here's a great philosophy on the life of the college student-athlete:


"The hard work I put in as a student-athlete will help prepare me for the years after college. I look at my parents and the hard work that they have performed since I was born and the successes they have had. It's a motivator and a lesson -- that if you pursue your goals with dedication and effort, good things will come to you." 


Wise words and philosophy. Holly, Hayley and Andy. Three examples of the student-athlete. Three good ones...


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Hot enough for ya? That had to be the guide words last night in Tucson, AZ. where the Louisville Cardinal baseball team downed New Mexico State 3-2 in 100 degree plus weather. 


The "beisbal" Cards take on the host Arizona Wildcats tonight at 11 p.m. in the winner's bracket of the Tucson Regional. Get 'em guys! 


Here's a link to a pretty amazing catch to end a baseball game. Guy has some hops! 


Up, up and away!


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