SPORTS 15
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017
ON TRACK
NEW CENTER HELPS
ATHLETES SUCCEED
DONS NOW HAVE A PLACE TO STUDY
BY JASON MARTINEZ & JULIAN WALLACE / el Don
ABOVE / Devon Sample (left) gets advice from Kathy Utley, lead coordinator and instructor. Sam-
ple has clocked more than 70 hours in the center so far this spring. / Julian Wallace/ el Don
Santa Ana College provides stu-
dents the opportunity to continue
their education and advance their
skills and talents. This does not
just limit students to the class-
room but also stays true on the
sporting grounds.
To many, being an athlete is a
lifestyle. Hard work, dedication,
commitment and talent are just
a few of the wide array of skills
and talents that college athletes
must have to be a part of a team.
However, a crucial must-have for
college athletes to be successful
are good grades.
For the first time, SAC opened
an athletic learning center built
specifically to aid and focus on
athletes and their education.
Officially made available for
use this semester, this is a place
where student-athletes can study,
do homework, or receive help on
their classwork.
Devon Sample, a Don football
player, was required to attend two
hours a week at the learning cen-
ter but is a regular attendee and
has accumulated over 70 hours
this spring.
“It makes it easy to get work
done here since there are a lot
less distractions than doing work
anywhere else,” said Sample. “My
work ethic would lack more if the
center wasn’t open because out-
side you’re free to do whatever.”
Sample credits Kathy Utley, lead
coordinator and instructor, for
his success at the learning center.
Utley transitioned from a high
school continuation program to
help create the athletic learning
center in hopes that she could
help student-athletes academical-
ly. Because of the progress she has
seen in Sample, she hopes that all
Don athletes will be required to
attend at least two hours a week,
since not all teams mandate their
players to participate.
“When they get an athletic
director perhaps that director will
mandate all coaches to enforce
every athlete to do two hours, but
without a director or dean there
is no reinforcement from the top
to trickle down [to the coaches],”
Utley said.
The teams that are required
to come, however, have already
seen improvements and benefits
from this newly opened center.
Freshman Jordan Ladner, a Dons
softball player, recommends that
all Don athletes should come
by, those who are struggling in
school to stay on task.
Dons freshman football player
Devon Jackson says he has hopes
of transferring to a four-year
school to continue his collegiate
career. “Schools won’t take you
seriously if you don’t have a good
GPA,” Jackson said.
Doing well in school is an im-
portant factor in eligibility in or-
der to play. Unfortunately, some
students struggle to keep their
grades up to academic require-
ments and are forced to withdraw
from competition, which not only
hurts them but their team as well.
LEARNING CENTER HOURS
STUDY / Soccer freshman Amanda Trujillo (right) and a fellow athlete take the time to focus on
their studies now that the learning center is available for them. / Jason Martinez / el Don
MONDAY - WEDNESDAY 11 A.M. TO 2:30 P.M. BLDG B-15
THURSDAY & FRIDAY 10 A.M TO 2:30 P.M. BLDG B-33