The term 'student-athlete' is one regularly used throughout the landscape of college sports, but the vast majority of fans will remember players only because of their impact in the sport they play, often overlooking their academic achievements.
At Penn State, it is quite easy to fall in love with the countless number of star athletes that the university churns out year after year, but not as easily do we look beyond just the athlete and take the time to cherish the star Nittany Lion athletes who are also high-achieving students.
Several players on the Penn State men's volleyball team are starring on the court and in the classroom, while epitomizing what it means to be a student-athlete.
Juniors Calvin Mende and Nathan Smith, as well as true freshman Brett Wildman, are each members of Penn State's Schreyer Honors College, which is widely recognized as one of the top undergraduate honors programs in the country.
Each year only 300 first-year students are accepted into Penn State's renowned honors program, and this past year Schreyer received 3,799 applications, so while these three Nittany Lions may be known for their roles on the hardwood, their academic prowess is just as celebratory.
"They're everything we want them to be," Penn State head coach Mark Pavlik said. "I think when you look at not just Cal (Mende) and Brett (Wildman) and Nathan (Smith), but you look at our other athletes that are students in the Schreyer Honors College and you get some really special people. They're passionate about things, and I think their passion bleeds over to the rest of their life too."
Mende, a 6-foot-11 right-side hitter, has been a First-Team All-EIVA nomination in each of the last two seasons and has been revered for his nearly unstoppable lefty swing. A native of Redlands, California, Mende is a Security and Risk Analysis major and hopes to eventually pursue a career in intelligence analysis and counterterrorism.
"As far as the academic ties at Penn State go, they had a great program for my major, and I was hoping to go either cybersecurity or intelligence analysis, and this was tailor-made for both of those. With Schreyer, it was an easy choice to further my academic career with the resources they have available."
Mende was rated as one of the top volleyball players in the country in high-school volleyball, but he was also a two-time captain for the Redlands High School water polo team and was named the Inland Empire Water Polo Player of Year in 2014. In addition, he was a member of student government and is an Eagle Scout.
"Through student government I really enjoyed the outreach with the student population, connecting with everybody and fostering the community that happens naturally at a small school. Then coming here and looking at what Schreyer does with a student body of around 40,000 students, they give you this tiny community where everyone is connected to give you the small college feel," Mende said.
Smith, on the other hand, has backed up star setter, Luke Braswell, the past two seasons, but in 2017 he led the Nittany Lions to a thrilling upset victory over then top-ranked Ohio State in place of the injured Braswell. Smith, also a California native, is a Biology major with a pre-med track and hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon.
"I thought (Penn State) was just an awesome fit with the great academic programs and I thought I could succeed not only from a volleyball standpoint, but also in my academic career and my career aspirations," Smith said.
Mende and Smith, who was a four-year captain of the Los Altos boys volleyball team, both emphasized that time-management as Schreyer student-athletes is key, which at first proved to be challenging.
"My first semester was probably my roughest semester so far, but with all the outreach tools we have, there is always assistance if you need it. You just have to reach out if you need it," Mende said. "The academic staff here helped me get through the first semester, and from there on I've taken it upon myself to reapply everything that they have showed me."
"It's really just about getting into a groove and balancing your time right," Smith said. "You find out really early that you're not going to have enough time to balance school and volleyball if you're managing your time well. I think once you get into a groove though it just becomes habit."
Despite the success that both Mende and Smith have seen in their volleyball careers, both also exhibit a noticeable passion in their academic efforts as Schreyer students and have embraced being fully committed student-athletes.
"To me (student-athlete) means someone who prioritizes both their athletic career as well as their academic career because both of them are very important to me, and I think in terms of my personal development, both of them make up my identity," Smith said.
"I would say a 'student-athlete' is someone who not only excels on the court but tries to apply the same passion and the same drive it takes to be good at your sport to the classroom," Mende said.
Mende and Smith will continue to leave their mark on the volleyball court, and their success in a Penn State uniform will likely be how they are most remembered in the Penn State community's eyes. But the pride of representing their university as students, as well as athletes, personifies the model student-athlete.
"I think Penn State is just this awesome place with a whole bunch of different people from all sorts of different backgrounds coming together," Smith said. "So many people get to continue their academic and athletic career here so it means a lot to be able to not only be part of that but hopefully contribute to the academic and sports culture through my background and show everyone what Penn State is and who we stand for."