SMU student athletes are faced with the challenge of balancing academics with competition on a daily basis. Some students excel at this task, establishing themselves as champions both on and off the field or court and earning acclaim from their professors, coaches and peers.
This year, three SMU female athletes – each from a different sport – received the title of Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year. This year’s winners from the Hilltop are Kate Ackerson, Natalia Bubien and Petra Klosova.
Natalia Bubien, a 22-year-old tennis standout working toward a degree in psychology, received the award for the third time in her four years at SMU after helping lead the tennis team to a national ranking and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2009. Bubien who currently has a 3.864 GPA, needs just 18 more hours to earn her degree is expected to graduate in the fall of 2009.
Picking up her first racket at the age of five, Bubien has mastered juggling school and tennis.
“I got used to it, but time management was always the biggest challenge,” Bubien said. “I never had a lot of time to study, but when I had it, I used it to the fullest. Tennis helped me become more organized.”
Helping elevate the Mustangs to the No.23 spot this past season, Bubien won 12 of her 20 matches, including wins over No. 27 TCU and conference foe Southern Miss.
Prior to this year’s recognition, the Poland native was the 2007 C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year, a four-time C-USA Academic Medal winner and a member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and three-time C-USA All-Academic Team honoree.
Bubien also received the Conference USA Spirit of Service award for her efforts towards engaging in community service, good academic standing and participation with SMU’s tennis team.
Staying at SMU for one more year, Bubien will continue with the team as a graduate assistant coach, but hopes to one day attend graduate school.
“When I graduate I’d like to do my masters in sports psychology or get into physical therapy school.”
Receiving this recognition for the second consecutive year is golfer Kate Ackerson, who recently graduated from SMU with a degree in business. A four-time All Conference USA golfer and a member of the C-USA Women’s Golf All-Academic Team, Ackerson tied for sixth place at the C-USA Conference Championships. From Allen, Texas, Ackerson is also a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Team member.
“It’s a wonderful feeling winning this award. It is rewarding having my hard work in school and golf recognized,” Ackerson said. “Golf and school were my No. 1 priority, so I always made sure I kept it that way throughout my four years.”
Planning on turning professional in the fall, Ackerson graduated as a four-time C-USA Academic Medal winner and member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
“It was very hard to balance golf and school, but I would always prioritize my school and golf to make sure I finished what needed to be done first,” explained Ackerson.
The 14-time All-American, Petra Klosova of the SMU swim team, received the award for the first time in her final year on the Hilltop. Leading the Mustangs to a 19th place finish in the NCAA Tournament in the 2009 season, Klosova has been a 15-time C-USA Champion, and 2006 Freshman of the Year and the 2007 C-USA Swimmer of the year.
“Swimming practices alternating with school were times when I could just turn off my head and forget school for a while, so at night I was fresher to study again,” Klosova said of juggling swimming and school. “I guess the ambition and discipline we got from the sport showed up at school as well, but also the emphasis on hard work not just in the sport but also at school coming from our coaches was a motivation to do well.”
Coming to Dallas from the Czech Republic, Klosova excelled in the freestyle, individual medley and butterfly races and received the team’s Mustang Award for performance, dedication and enthusiasm. Finishing 13th in the NCAA Tournament, Klosova recorded a record-season time for SMU for the 400 freestyle relay team
The award, presented to the top student athlete in each C-USA sport is voted on and approved by the C-USA Board of Directors, and is based the student’s overall GPA and athletic achievement and service.
