Daily Grind columns are posted every Wednesday to provide an introduction into a day in the life of a college athlete and an example of time management skills.
Savannah Kennedy is a junior on the Seton Hall University women's swimming and diving team. As a Division I athlete, there are no off days. Kennedy is busy balancing school, swimming and other college student activities. Here's a peek at her daily grind.
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In the morning:
Kennedy will wake up at 6:30 a.m for a 7:00 a.m full team practice. She lives off campus so all of her roommates will hop in one car and drive to campus.
Practice is from 7:00 a.m to 9:00 a.m.
After practice, Kennedy has to rush to get out of the pool to get her first class which is an Introduction to Anthropology class. This class will last an hour and 45 minutes and then she goes right into the next class.
Her next class is an Intellectual Psychology class from 11:00 a.m to 12:15 p.m.
Related: Daily Grind: Finding Balance as a Busy College Athlete
Midday:
Around lunch time, Kennedy has to either rush home or grab something on campus for her lunch because she has class again at 12:30, which can be challenging. But as a D1 athlete, Kennedy needs the fuel! “Knowing I have practice later in the day, I literally have to eat something or else I won't have enough energy at practice,” she explained.
Kennedy's final class of the day at 12:30 p.m is another psychology class, but this time she gets a teammate to attend with. “Having a teammate in class is a big help because I can always ask them questions if I am confused, and I can study with them,” Kennedy said.
After her final class, she is back to the pool where her group will split their time between the pool and the weight room.
2:00-4:00 p.m is their practice time–the first hour is in the water and the second hour is in the weight room.
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Evening and night:
After practice, the evening is really the only time all day Kennedy gets to herself and it's usually spent doing homework and or studying. After a few hours, all of her roommates are usually home and done with practice so they're hungry. Around 6:00 p.m, they'll all make dinner together and eat it while discussing each other's days.
“Living with other athletes is super helpful because a lot of us have similar goals and we can hold each other accountable to do the little things like healthy meals or getting our work done,” Kennedy said.
After dinner, they will all hang out, watch a movie, and get ready for the next day of being a Division I athlete.
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* Originally published on July 20, 2022, by Kyle Haflich