Grayling Elliott Davis is a former Division I Track and Field athlete at the University of Minnesota who transferred after spending two years at Central Arizona College. Out of high school, Elliott had numerous offers to go to big Division I schools, yet strategically chose a community college to start his athletic and academic career. His mom encouraged him to go to a community college first, even despite having times that would allow him to compete at the Division I level as an incoming freshman. At Minnesota, Elliot was a psychology major and was named a co-captain his redshirt senior season. Here is what a Tuesday in his life looked like as a Division I track and field athlete:

6:45 AM: Wake Up

Elliot starts his day early, he showers and gets ready for class, eats breakfast at 7:30, brushes his teeth, and prepares for the busy day ahead of him. In the warmer months of the year, going to class is not as dreadful, however with Minnesota winters in full effect, it is critical to not only physically prepare with warm layers, but mentally prepared to step outside into the frigid cold. 

8 AM: Class

After making it into a warm building again, Elliott spends his day in class from 8 am to 2:15 pm and has just a short amount of time to get prepared for “Throw up Tuesday.” The track and field team calls it this because it is typically the hardest workout of the week. The practice goes from around 3 to 5 pm, with additional time spent in the training room for pre-workout readiness and post-workout recovery.

10:45 AM: Lunch

With class taking up most of his day, he must find time to quickly fit in lunch to be prepared for a hard workout. He usually eats an early lunch around 10:45 am since it is the only time that he has a long enough break to take a few minutes to relax.

11:30-2:15 PM: Class

3-5 PM: Practice

In preparation for “Throw up Tuesdays,” he consults weekly emails sent by his event coach. In the emails, the coach “gives a little synopsis of what we are going to do for the week and how to prepare.” His coach is good about checking in with athletes to ensure they are prepared to train and compete at a high level. Check-in questions include if he has been eating, drinking enough water, and sleeping. The level of dedication and genuine interest in Elliott's well-being and mental health was a driving factor in why he chose Minnesota. His visit was more personal than what he experienced at other schools, and since being here, the personal treatment and care for his person as a whole has not faltered.

6:30 PM: Dinner

Elliot's day winds down at the athlete's village with teammates in the dining hall where he refuels after a long day.

7:30: Study/Get ready for bed

Elliot will finish up studying and then head back to his dorm to get ready for bed.

Traveling as a Division I Student Athlete

Traveling during the indoor season is difficult, as the team misses class most Thursdays and Fridays from January through the end of February or Mid-March, depending on when the season ends. Elliott regularly misses classes, but his academic advisor works with him to plan ahead, so he feels on top of his work. This includes putting his weekly to-dos in a Google spreadsheet so that he knows what he needs to accomplish each day. Once the outdoor season comes along, the travel spreads out a little more from March through the end of the school year, which makes his ability to balance his responsibilities a little easier.

Image Credit: University of Minnesota Athletics

* Originally published on August 16, 2023, by Monique Felix