Balancing the game and academics is a key skill in any student athletesā repertoire. For Cali Papez (ā26), playing basketball at Augustana enhances her college experience, despite what many might consider to be difficult trade-offs. A current junior, the sport has been a part of her life since third grade ā clearly visible in her gameplay. Cali was one of three Augustana Womenās Basketball players to earn Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) this season, making her a two-time recipient of this recognition.
Augustana College is a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) within NCAA Division III athletics. The Womenās Basketball season runs from November through February, with practices starting up in October. With her majors in biology on the pre-physical therapy track and Spanish for professional use, as well as a minor in chemistry, Cali says that while juggling practice with classes isnāt easy, itās worth it. āIt requires a lot of time-management. A lot of my free time goes to my homework, but Iām OK with the balance because I really love playing basketball and I have goals to succeed in both basketball and academics.ā Outside of classes and practice, she participates in the BĆŗhos ESL (English as a second language) tutoring club and enjoys spending time with her friends.Ā
When asked to summarize her experience with Augieās basketball program in one word, she says that āgrowthā – of communication, of leadership, and of oneās self – encapsulates her experience the best. Developing time-management skills, learning to have fun and balance athletics, academics, and ā well, everything else ā are all important skills that student athletes like Cali build over their time at school. āItās a great experience to get to play college sports, to get to grow closer to your team. Thatās my favorite part about it, just having a group of girls who are committed and love each other; itās just a great opportunity I would encourage anybody to take advantage of.ā