CHARLESTON, S.C. ? A key component of the College of Charleston softball team for the past two seasons, sophomore outfielder Kristi Woodall (Huntersville, N.C.) also finds herself among select company in the classroom as she excels both academically and athletically to embody the true meaning of a student-athlete.
A business administration major with a dual concentration in finance and marketing, Woodall has played in 112 of a possible 115 games over her first two seasons, every single one of them a start in centerfield, and has been extremely successful in the student part of the student-athlete equation as she currently holds a 3.829 grade point average after four semesters.
ONE OF 11 STUDENT-ATHLETES WITH A 4.0 GPA
“I've been pretty consistent in the classroom throughout my college career, and it's gone pretty well, but this year has really been my toughest” said Woodall. “That's why it feels so good to accomplish what I have because I've never had to work so hard for it before. It's really nice to see my efforts pay off”.
And pay off they have. She finished this past semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA and, while it is the first time in her college career that she has reached that lofty goal, she has not been far off in her previous semesters, recording marks of 3.94 and 3.86 as a freshman and a 3.48 this past fall semester. Those accomplishments are made even more impressive when you consider the fact that out of all of the College of Charleston's student-athletes, she was one of only 11 to earn a 4.0 GPA for the spring semester.
“Obviously academics are very tough here and for her to do that with the classes she had this semester is tremendous” said College of Charleston head coach Shelly Hoerner. “It's not easy for any athlete to get above a 3.0, let alone a perfect 4.0 GPA, and do it during their season. That shows Kristi's dedication to being a true student-athlete and representing herself and the program here at the College in a very respectable way. I couldn't be more proud of her”
“Not many people can say they've accomplished that” said Woodall. “It feels good that I can represent the softball team on the academic side as well as on the field and show that we are well rounded athletes. I think that reflects really well on the program as a whole and that's what we're trying to accomplish”.
“THEY DON'T MESS AROUND WITH ACADEMICS”
While it is ultimately her responsibility for her work in the classroom, it has also taken a significant amount of support to be able to achieve what she has both there and on the field and Woodall realizes this. In addition to her own dedication and determination, she has benefited greatly from the willingness of a number of individuals to give of themselves to help her succeed.
“Athletically, I could ask any of the coaches to stay with me for extra work” said Woodall. “Coach Hoerner would be out there an hour before practice, throwing me bucket after bucket of batting practice and coach [Sarah] Pauly was a huge support system. With her facing some of the best softball players around as a member of National Pro Fastpitch, I was lucky I got to hit live off of her and benefit from her advice”.
And when it comes to the academic side of the equation from a coaching standpoint, there is no doubt where the coaching staff stands. “They don't mess around with academics” says Woodall. “If I need anything, they're right on it and I love how they are so flexible and understand the importance of academics and really stress that it comes first”.
“We have goals we want to accomplish on the field and if we don't take care of business in the classroom, we can't reach those goals on the field” says Hoerner. “Probably at least once a day I talk to at least one player, even if it's just quickly, about their grades. I feel that that is an integral part of my job along with making sure they get a degree and become better people than they were when they came into my program, in addition to winning championships”.
“For Kristi to do as well as she is doing, that means that she is taking what is important to her and making sure that it is known” adds Hoerner. “It's not uncharacteristic of her to discuss academics and the importance of them to anyone. It's not just about softball, it's about academics as well and that shows what this program is really about”.
In addition to the support provided by the coaching staff, Woodall has made use of the services available through the athletic department, softball study hall and prevailed upon individuals within her discipline in the School of Business and Economics.
“Being an athlete, we get our pick of advisors that we get to speak with and in the business school, Marcia Snyder is one of the top ones” said Woodall. “She is always available to help me because she knows it's tough. She'll sit down and go through my courses with me, get me squared away and provide me with some reassurances about the course load. She has been extremely helpful”.
“Kristi is an extremely dedicated student-athlete who is as engaged in her academic studies as she is a tenacious competitor on the softball field” said Snyder, currently the Director of Reaffirmation & Student Affairs in the School of Business and Economics.
“Everything is laid out in terms of classes and if there is a conflict, they find another class for you to take” added Woodall. “I feel really lucky to have that type of relationship with my advisor”
ON THE FIELD
In addition to the exemplary way she has handled her responsibilities in the classroom, the Huntersville, N.C. native has also taken her responsibilities as the Cougars starting centerfielder very seriously. Woodall went from batting .220 and slugging .302 as a freshman to hitting .257 with a .390 slugging percentage this past season while belting a career-best two home runs.
She also increased her on-base percentage 26 points to .372 while raising her fielding percentage 20 points to .949. In just two years, she now finds herself seventh all-time in the College of Charleston record books with 20 career sacrifice hits, a mark that indicates her dedication to team as that stat is a direct result of giving up an at bat to better the club's chance to score a run.
“Coming into this year, I really wanted to put in all the extra work I could” said Woodall. “I did it some my first year but I wanted consistency when I played and with me that only comes with repetition. I was taking all the extra swings I could and if I had a bad practice, I stayed to fix it. Mentally, as freshman, you are overwhelmed a bit but this season the extra work helped me focus and work through some early season struggles”.
“Kristi hit it right on the nose” said Hoerner. “It's the consistency of putting in the extra time, day in and day out. She did it some in her freshman year but didn't know any better. As you get a taste of success, it's a feeling of wanting to be even better so she then did it consistently. It was ?hey coach can you work with me before or after practice'. I love when players ask for extra help because I know they want to succeed both personally and for the team and I love that kind of attitude”.
KEEPING UP THE BALANCE
In order to succeed both in the classroom and on the field, an individual must be able to strike a balance between both areas. It is readily apparent that Kristi Woodall has found just such a balance to her academic and athletic lives.
“I don't know if there's really a secret” says the sophomore centerfielder. “We have a pretty structured day. You get class, practice and study hall and I think that helps out a lot because then you don't have a whole lot of time to dabble around in other things. I really like having a scheduled day because then I know exactly what I have to do and figure where to put in extra work, whether it is for school or softball”.
“The key has really been being on a regimented day. My whole life it's kind of been like that so I was really lucky to be able to bring it over to college” concluded Woodall.
The most difficult part of keeping that balance in place is something that would not be the first thing you would think about with someone that has a 3.829 GPA: Learning how to study.
“I didn't have to in high school because it wasn't that tough for me” said Woodall. “I've never had to work on studying and that was really tough for me because I wouldn't study that long for tests. This semester I would set a goal that I had to study for a certain number of hours and that was my biggest obstacle”.
“I'VE GOT OPTIONS”
While she hasn't really thought about what she'll do when she earns her degree in several years, Woodall knows that she has some options available to her as a result of her hard work as a student-athlete.
“I have a relative that is a stockbroker and he has told me that if he sees ?Finance' anywhere on a degree, he'll hire you on the spot” said Woodall. “It's a good thing to have and I had enough credits coming in so that I was able to do concentrations in both finance and marketing. I've always been interested in sports and entertainment marketing and that becomes a possibility with my education. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I feel like I've got options”.
“Kristi has never failed in her life and it goes to show you that by putting in the time and effort, she's not going to fail” said Hoerner. “She's going to be very successful. Whatever she chooses to do in the business world, with her outgoing personality, the way she interacts with people and how bright she is, she's going to be a success at anything she does, whether that's marketing, real estate, anything”
EXEMPLIFYING A TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETE
The success that Woodall has had during her time at the College of Charleston has been not only a reflection of her, but also of her parents and family.
“It's really a testament to the way that Larry and Pam [Woodall] brought her up and the values and work ethic they instilled in her” said coach Hoerner. “The support that the Woodalls give Cougar Softball is amazing. They want this program to soar to new heights. It makes a huge difference when you have a family that is willing to do whatever for the betterment of the team and support it in every aspect, not just their daughter”.
Woodall's family has always been a strong influence on her, pushing her to never settle for average but also to recognize your accomplishments. “I never had below an “A” in high school so it's always been an expectation that I've had for myself” said Woodall. “So, I didn't like it when I got below an “A” in a course last year but my father put it in perspective for me, telling me how proud he was of me because he knew it was a tough course for me”.
“My Dad's a pretty emotionless, middle-of-the-road type of guy” continued Woodall. “But when I called my Mom to tell her I got a 4.0, she told me he was just smiling and saying to keep it up. That means a lot because it's something where they don't have to worry about me and that's a great incentive for me”.
It's also a great incentive for a program.
“We've got to find the right players for our program, like Kristi, that are going to make academics as high a priority as softball” said Hoerner. “For me as a coach, it is a thrill to see one of my players succeed the way she has. I couldn't be more proud of her. She truly exemplifies what it means to be a true student-athlete on the field and in the classroom”.
A special thanks goes out to Otto German, Director of NCAA Compliance at the College of Charleston and Keith Merritt, Academic Coordinator, for their efforts in providing information used in this article.
