Colorado University Athletics
For CU's DeWinter, Academics And Athletics Perfect Combination For Success
May 08, 2017 | Lacrosse, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It's a question college athletes hear on a regular basis.
"How do you manage to find the time to balance schoolwork and Division I athletics?"
For Maddie DeWinter, a defender on the NCAA Tournament-bound Colorado lacrosse team, the answer is simple. The two are a perfect match — so much so that she has discovered the lessons learned in one area quite often translate to the other — and in the end, they make her better in both.
"If I have a bad day at school, get a bad test grade, when I come to practice, I don't have to worry about it," DeWinter said. "I get this three- or four-hour break where I don't have to focus on school. All I have to worry about is lacrosse. It's actually a great break when I can kind of free my mind a little bit and then refocus when it's time to get back to school."
Conversely, DeWinter said, academics can offer a similar respite from the rigors of participating in Division I athletics.
"If I have a bad day on the field, I can come home and focus on homework," she said. "Lacrosse has helped me with all the things necessary to succeed in school — work ethic, dedication, discipline. Those things translate very well to both."
It would be hard to argue with DeWinter's formula. The senior from Parker is set to graduate this spring with a degree in chemical and biological engineering and a grade-point average north of 3.9. (It is also hard to imagine what might constitute a "bad" day for DeWinter in the classroom. Heading into her final semester, she had received one B in her college career and A's in every other class.)
"What I've found is that athletics really offers an opportunity that not everyone has," she she said. "I know a lot of other engineering students who don't have that opportunity. They get wrapped up in their school but they never get a break and they never really have that chance to let go, even for a few hours. Having that kind of break has really helped me academically."
DeWinter, a member of coach Ann Elliott's first-ever recruiting class at Colorado, has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA over the last three semesters and was recently named CU's Senior Female Scholar Athlete of the year.
"She's just a remarkable individual," said Professor David Clough, who is finishing his last semester as CU's faculty athletics representative.
DeWinter has been closely involved in the engineering research program of Professor Ted Randolph. There, she has learned to apply another lesson learned through athletics.
"What many people don't realize is that engineering is a very collaborative field," DeWinter said. "Solving problems, you need the collaboration of a bunch of different people, on any engineering project or any science project in general. Having that experience on a team has translated very well to my academic studies. I truly think it helped me when it came to working closely with others on research projects."
But there are some lessons in athletics that have been more difficult to learn — and more difficult to accept.
When DeWinter arrived with CU's first recruiting class, she was a starter as a freshman. By her sophomore year, when more recruits joined the team, she played in 18 games but had just six starts. As a junior, she appeared in just nine games, and this year she has appeared in just five games.
"That has been one of the hardest things I've had to deal with in my time at CU," DeWinter acknowledged. "I know what if feels like to play. Transitioning from a role where you are getting the time and people are able to recognize that to a situation where you have to be more behind the scenes and getting other players prepared hasn't been easy. It's something that can be a little overlooked."
But like everything else DeWinter has encountered, she has turned the situation into a positive as much as possible.
"It's provided one of the biggest lessons I've learned athletically," she said. "I've learned that you have to keep working at it. Just because you are not getting recognized or you aren't seeing the playing time you used to have doesn't mean your value on the team has decreased. It's just that your role has changed. It's not always the most fun. But you learn to deal with it and make something good of it."
And true to form, she has made something good out of a difficult situation. As the Buffs rolled this year to the program's first-ever NCAA bid, DeWinter knows she helped build the foundation that has led to the program's successes.
"It's been special," she said. "Not a lot of people get an opportunity to start something like this, especially at a school like CU, which has so many opportunities, both athletically and academically. It's been an amazing opportunity to start the program and start the culture. We've put a lot of work in, but it's been a lot of fun."
Elliott said she has never seen a change in DeWinter's attitude or work ethic, even as her playing time declined. Rather, CU's coach said, DeWinter has continued to be an inspiration to her team — and that attitude has played a significant role in building the team culture.
"Maddie embodies what Colorado lacrosse is about," Elliott said. "That's something she's been consistent with from Day One. She always works hard, she always fights after the ground ball and she's always going to chase you down. Even though she might not be on the field as much in the games, what she does in practice, her work ethic and mentality, pushes our team to not give up. Her influence has been tremendous and it shows."
DeWinter believes also knows those lessons learned on the playing field will travel with her as she begins her career in the "real world."
"Being behind the scenes and putting in the legwork so the team is elevated translates very well into engineering," she said. "Having that drive, not giving up and continuing to work at it — it's taught me a lot. I've learned that teamwork can produce great results and you don't have to be in the spotlight to be part of that success. It's a lesson I will take with me long after I'm done playing lacrosse."
DeWinter and her teammates open play in the NCAA Tournament on Friday vs. Massachusetts in Philadelphia at 5 p.m. — the same day commencement ceremonies are scheduled on the CU campus.
When the season finally comes to an end, DeWinter will begin working for Elion Labs, a Louisville-based analytical research company. A year from now, she hopes to begin pursuit of her MD-PhD degree.
But her time at CU — in the classroom, on the field and in the lab — will always be part of her foundation.
"Obviously there were some special moments — beating USC our freshman year is something I'll never forget," she said. "We weren't expected to win, we just kind of went out there and played and won in overtime.
"But overall, the entire experience has been unbelievable. The opportunities, both academically and academically, have been unforgettable. In terms of my career, I've been working in a lab the last two years and that's been really influential as far as what I want to do the rest of my life. But that experience wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't participated in athletics. Together, it's been awesome. I wouldn't change a thing."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
