- November 4, 2024
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As impressive as it may be to throw three touchdowns, win a basketball district championship, bowl a 300, or set a new school track and field record, these “stats” some student-athletes are earning will also cause head turns.
One of my favorite quotes came from Palm Coast resident Ike Harris, a former NFL player and good friend, who said about education, “If you’re pursuing a sports career, you must have a backup plan. Any play can be the last play of your career, and my theory was that my plan had to include education. I can blow out a knee and an ankle, but more times than not, if God allows me to breathe, I can always think.”
While I understand that, in the sports world, game stats matter the most, I want to highlight a few student-athletes who not only have succeeded in their respective playing fields, but have also excelled where it matters most, in the classroom.
Bailey Gillespy of Father Lopez has earned multiple sports awards and honors in volleyball and track, including six Player of the Game nominees for this past volleyball season, and setting a school record for reaching the state finals in track for four events, as a sophomore. Pretty cool, right? But, what’s even better is that Gillespy will graduate at the top of her class as the valedictorian.
Nick Kubiet played an essential part on Matanzas’ historic football team this past season. He finished the year with 76 tackles, 29 for loss and 6.5 sacks, earning a First-Team All-Area selection as a junior. In the classroom, Kubiet has posted a 4.5 weighted GPA, 4.0 unweighted.
Last year, senior tennis player Noah Thompson reached the state finals tournament for Seabreeze. This year, he, along with the rest of the team, reached the state finals after capturing its region championship. Off the tennis court, Thompson’s academic achievements are too many to name. He’s ranked fourth in his class with a perfect GPA in both high school and Daytona State, to name a few.
On the baseball field, Flagler Palm Coast’s Austin Massebeau has already committed to Daytona State, and he received All-Area Honorable Mention honors last year. But, when he’s not pitching or hitting, Massebeau leads fulfills his roles in other clubs, such as president of the Student Athletic Advisory Council.
Kate Litke now owns Mainland’s digs volleyball career school record, and last season, she led all softball players with an astounding .659 batting average. Even more astounding, Litke got accepted into the University of Florida’s Pre-Med school, where she hopes to become a nurse.
When asked why education was so important to them, they all responded with this similar response: “An education is what’s going to allow me to succeed in life.” They, who represent a lot of others, are not just athletes; they’re student-athletes, who understand why the student comes first.
