Scholar athlete is a series that The Mav will be doing while working alongside the athletic director, Chad Eisentrager. Through this series, we will visit two different sports each month and, with the help of Mead’s head coaches, we will nominate a scholar-athlete of the month. This athlete not only excels in their sport but performs extremely well academically.

In the month of August, The Mav looked into Boys’ Golf and Softball, the students that have been selected are Tanner Strong and Tayler Brown.

For the Boys’ Golf Scholar-Athlete, head coach, Michael Ward selected Tanner Strong. 

Tanner Strong (’20) has been playing golf for four years. 

“It’s nice to see some of the smaller sports getting recognized as athletes,” added Strong.

“[Tanner] shows great leadership on and off the course while balancing both band and golf,” added Coach Ward.

Not only does Strong exceed in Golf and Band, but he maintains a 3.6 GPA.

It’s not easy to do well in sports and keep a good GPA. “It takes a lot, you have to stay focused and not get distracted,” said Strong.

For softball, head coach Amanda Macaluso elected Tayler Brown (’21). 

“She leads the team in batting average, was nominated as one of two Captains as a junior, and has an infectious work ethic and exceptional attitude,” said Macaluso.

“I feel proud to represent softball and honored to be a leader for the team,” said Brown.

Brown also earned an academic letter and currently has the highest GPA on the team according to Macaluso. Brown consistently maintains a 4.0 GPA.

Brown explained that she struggles balancing both school and sports. “I’ve definitely struggled but learned how to manage my time,” she said.

Brown added that, to keep track of both, she puts herself on a strict schedule of,  “using every minute in class,” heading to the field, working hard in practice and going straight home to get her homework done. 

These athletes keep school and their passions as equal priorities and work hard to be able to succeed.