Meet the Bears. Washington University in St. Louis is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and of the University Athletic Association (UAA), two associations that promote athletic and academic excellence. The Department of Athletics at Washington University in St. Louis serves both as the administrative entity for physical education classes, intramurals, recreation, and the intercollegiate athletic program for men and women. The Bears have teams in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball. 93 Washington University student-athletes were honored in the Winter 2011-12 UAA All-Academic Recognition program.
"It was a very strong season for our teams as our men's team was third at nationals, and our women's team won nationals, both of which were best ever finishes," reports Mathematics/Physics major and Bears Cross Country and Track athlete Evan Miller, who posted some very nice 8k times in 2011 as a Sophmore. "It was also a good season for me personally," Evan confirms, "moving up as the season progressed to be the tenth man on our team at our biggest non-championship meet of the year, the Brooks Invitational at UW OshKosh." When asked about a connection between his math skills and Cross Country and Track, Evan remarked that he is able to calculate splits in his head during a track 10k. "I think I do approach my training with a little more of an analytic, empirical mindset than most runners," he added.
"As a swimmer and as a math major I constantly struggle with problems," replies Freshman Mathematics major Jake Ritchken, a member of the Bears Swimming & Diving teams. "When I can't figure out a proof, I try to use creative ways to develop a new technique. By conquering these problems, I get better at math. In the same way with swimming, I hit road blocks where I cannot get faster without changing my stroke. I think of different ways to move my body to get faster, and with my intense training, I can achieve my goals." "I am having a great time with academics and sport at Wash U," he adds. The Bears Swimming teams earned the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 2010-11 Team Scholar All-America award.
"Division III is a commitment to athletics without financial rewards—not a synonym for third rate," said Harry Kisker, former dean of student affairs and a chief organizer of the UAA along with former Chancellor Danforth. "We believe that the philosophy of playing without athletic scholarships has high merits academically and ethically." Including Washington University in St. Louis, members of the UAA are eight leading research universities at or near major metropolitan centers: Brandeis University, Boston; Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh; Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland; Emory University, Atlanta; New York University; the University of Chicago; and the University of Rochester.
"Academic excellence and athletic excellence are not mutually exclusive," states the UAA and the results are in: In 2010-11, 24 student-athletes from UAA institutions were recognized as Academic All-Americans by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), and five were named Postgraduate Scholars by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); 189 UAA student-athletes received All-America honors, and 17 were individual national champions or players of the year in their respective sports; in 2010-11 NCAA championship competition, 19 UAA teams finished in the top 10 in their national championships, while another 30 finished in the top 20.
All good reasons to root for the Bears.
Follow the action at The Department of Athletics Home Page.
Liked this story? Appreciated insights from one of our mathematics students? See also April 2012 News story Econ & Math major Madeleine Daepp receives a Truman Scholarship⇨
— Math news, stories, videos, and interviews by Marie C. Taris, http://www.math.wustl.edu/marietaris/math.html⇨