Feb. 1, 2008
This feature is one of many that can be read on the Patriot League website throughout the month of February - a month the Patriot League designates to promote and highlight women in sports. The following story appeared in the Patriot League's Celebrating Women in Sports magazine.
Visit the Patriot League's Celebrating Women in Sports webpage by clicking here. This page was launched last year and has been updated with some new items for 2008. The Celebrating Women in Sports webpage includes eight different links that will allow the user to read about the many accomplishments of the women in the Patriot League, while also serving to promote girls and women in sport. Highlights of this webpage are the Patriot League Celebrating Women in Sports magazine and photo gallery.
Defining the Student-Athlete Model
"There are 360,000 NCAA student-athletes, and just about all of us will be going pro in something other than sports." That is the tagline for a series of commercials produced by the NCAA to promote the student-athlete model, with emphasis on the word student. If the NCAA were to pick a Patriot League student-athlete to star in one of the commercials, Navy senior volleyball player Rachel Dougherty would be the ideal choice.
Dougherty stands out among some of the brightest students in the nation who attend a group of the most prestigious institutions in the country. She is a leader among a League of leaders. She is the perfect definition of a scholar-athlete.
"Rachel has done a remarkable balancing act in terms of succeeding both in the classroom and in volleyball," said Navy Head Coach Mike Schwob. "She is always focused and ready no matter what she does. When it is time to study, that's where her mind is. When it is time for volleyball, that's where her mind is."
On the heels of being named the 2007 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Dougherty looks to wrap up one stage of her academic pursuits at the U.S. Naval Academy with graduation on the horizon in May and start on another journey that will test her mind. Dougherty was named one of 15 Bowman Scholars by the USNA for this academic year. With this award, she will receive one year of schooling at the Naval Postgraduate School, as well as receive early admission into the Navy's nuclear surface warfare community. She also needs to complete an independent study project. Her subject for the independent study is entitled Isotopic Information from Proton Induced Gamma Ray Emission Measurements.
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"Being a Bowman Scholar had the two things I really wanted; the opportunity to become a nuclear surface warfare officer (SWO) and the ability to attend graduate school," said Dougherty. "The service path for a nuclear SWO seemed to fit me the best. With becoming a nuclear SWO, I get to go to school for a year and that's something I like to do. Also, the nuclear part sounded more interesting to me than the regular surface warfare officer commission."
Being selected as a Bowman Scholar is no easy feat. Dougherty's credentials are exceptional. The four-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll member held a 3.89 cumulative grade-point average heading into her fall semester of her senior year. The physics major has posted a 4.00 GPA during four of her six semesters and during her one year of summer school. As of the first semester this academic year, she ranked 52nd out of her class of 1,085 on the academic order of merit. Her hard work in the classroom culminated in being named a 2007 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American on the second team.
And those are just her academic accomplishments.
Dougherty has learned the delicate art of balancing academics and athletics. She also knows that without one of those two components she might not be as successful in the other and vice versa.
"Participation in athletics actually gives me greater focus in the classroom," explained Dougherty. "There has to be a balance between the classroom and the gym. I never realized, in fact, how much athletics did for me until I was on crutches for an injury three years ago. Without being able to exercise and compete, I was unable to concentrate on my schoolwork! For me, academics and athletics are two sides of the same coin."
The veteran outside hitter capped off her senior campaign by being selected as a First-Team All-Patriot League member and leading the Mids to the Patriot League Tournament for the third time in her four years. Dougherty was second in the Patriot League in kills per game in both overall and Patriot League matches. In overall matches, she ranked second in aces per game. At the close of the 2007 volleyball season the 6-1 Mid ranked 27th and 53rd in the nation in aces per game and kills per game, respectively.
Dougherty made an impact in the Navy record books, becoming just the fifth player during the Mids' 17-year Division I era to record 1,000 career kills. She ended her career with 1,137 kills. She ranks fifth in school history in career kills and tied for fourth place with 274 career blocks.
While many wonder if participation in sports is a distraction from academic pursuits, the world of collegiate athletics would love to spread the word that in fact the two components work harmoniously. Dougherty could be the spokesperson for that campaign.
"I am a huge fan of sports and athletics," Dougherty said enthusiastically. "Everyone should do something. The health benefits of exercise are touted everywhere and cannot be denied - but the mental and psychological benefits are huge as well! Sports not only make you happier - sports teach you important life lessons. Any physical activity takes discipline and focus; these two qualities are essential for success as a student of life."
Being nearly flawless in the classroom and emerging as one of the most potent threats on the court in the Patriot League during her senior season took a tremendous amount of dedication and a sense of internal motivation. Dougherty has approached both aspects of her life with vigor and has used one to help springboard her in the other. Take a look at a Saturday in early October. Dougherty went through the grueling process of taking a three-hour GRE that morning and then hit the court at 4 p.m. for a Patriot League match and responded with a 22-kill, 15-dig performance.
"In the end, both are about being a better person," noted Dougherty. "They are about overcoming; they are about challenges and set-backs and failures. I guarantee you, the subjects I struggle with - both academically and physically - have been the ones I excel in as well."
The placement of athletics into the higher education model is not by accident. Athletic competition can enhance the physical, intellectual, ethical and social development of the entire higher education community. Athletics is a major element to the collegiate experience because it provides a student with skills that can be applied to the classroom, boardroom and even the front line.
When Dougherty graduates, it will mark the opening of many doors in her bright future. In the short term she will be tackling the rigors of Naval Postgraduate School. What athletic experiences will she draw from to continue her success in academics and what else may lay ahead? "My father coached me for a while when I was younger; he always talked about playing with heart," she explained.
"Heart is the free throw to tie the game. Heart is the tears after a hard-fought match. Heart is caring more for the game than yourself. This is a common thread among athletes; this is a thread we can choose to apply to other parts of our lives.
"Time management and organization have been force-fed to me here, especially as a varsity athlete," said Dougherty. "I have no doubt these two skills will be essential no matter where I go after the Naval Academy. I have also spent four seasons competing in an environment where teamwork and goals are paramount. The ability to work together towards a common goal is no small task, whether you are on an aircraft carrier or a volleyball team."
It should be no surprise to Dougherty, or anyone who knows her story, if one day soon the NCAA calls her up to do a spot to promote the student-athlete model. It is a model she has lived thus far and a model that no doubt she will carry with her for life.
