Even at smaller schools, athletes who are playing sports at the NCAA Division I level can have days that are jam packed with practice, training and school. John Day is a senior men's ice hockey goalie for Stonehill College, a small school in Easton, Massachusetts. Stonehill has an enrollment of just 2,491 full-time students and just reclassified its athletic programs to the Division I level last July. Here is a description of a typical day in John's life:

8:30-9:30 a.m.

This is when John wakes up, showers and eats breakfast. He grabs breakfast either at the Au Bon Pain on campus or heads over to the dining hall. 

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10:00-11:15 a.m.

Time for John's first class of the day. He is majoring in marketing and minoring in data analytics. 

11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

With a bit of a gap before his next class, John usually uses this time to eat lunch and relax. He heads back to the dining hall or to a salad bowl restaurant on campus. 

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1:00-2:15 p.m.

After lunch, it's time for John's second (and last) class of the day. 

2:15-2:45 p.m.

Once his second class ends, John drives to the rink. Stonehill does not have an on-campus ice rink, so the players must drive about 20 minutes to get there. The players drive their own cars as well, which John says isn't a big issue, as first-year students are allowed to have cars on campus and there are enough players with cars to drive any players without one. 

3:00-4:20 p.m.

John gets on the ice for a full-team practice.

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5:00-6:00 p.m.

After driving back from the rink, John eats dinner. Usually, the whole team will go to the dining hall together after practice. Because he is an upperclassman, he does have a kitchen back at his on-campus house, but he typically doesn't cook because he has a meal plan and can eat at the dining hall with his teammates. 

6:00-7:30 p.m.

Once dinner is over, John starts on his homework. 

8:00-9:00 p.m.

To interrupt his studies, John goes to lift with his teammates at the on-campus gym.

9:30-11:30 p.m.

After working out, John heads back home. He spends the rest of his day completing his homework and relaxing before heading to bed. 

What's a day in your life like? Share your Daily Grind at [email protected]

Image Credit: Twitter

* Originally published on March 22, 2023, by Owen Roche