Straight A Team - Lisa Werwinski
7/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
July 19, 2011
By Andrew J. Bowman
This is a continuation in a series of features about Miami University's brightest student-athletes. Their exceptional academic performance during the recently completed spring semester earned them a spot on the roster of the RedHawks' exclusive Straight A Team. In addition to their rigorous schedules on the athletic fields, each of these individuals earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average this past semester. Overall, during the 2010-11 academic year, Miami's nearly 500 student-athletes earned an impressive cumulative 3.11 GPA in the classroom.
OXFORD, Ohio - You can't help but drop your jaw and stand in amazement when you hear about Lisa Werwinski's college career so far. Not only is the rising junior a varsity athlete with the Miami RedHawks swimming and diving team but she's also simultaneously a graduate and undergraduate student, while having a job on campus.
Despite having to work around swim meets, class and a work schedule, Werwinski found a way to become one of the 17 RedHawk student-athletes spring semester to earn a perfect 4.0 GPA, and round her overall undergraduate GPA to an impressive 3.98 while earning another spot on Miami's Straight A Team.
The undergraduate Werwinski is majoring in math education, and mathematics and statistics. Meanwhile, her graduate self is a student in the department of statistics. Her alter ego is an accomplished diver for the RedHawks, earning such awards as a spot on the All-MAC Academic Team and winning the consolation finals on the three-meter board at the MAC Championships.
She will graduate with both degrees in December of 2013.
"I am the first student to be a part of the combined program involving a master's degree in statistics and any other undergraduate degree. I applied to the graduate school in June of 2010 and was admitted," said Werwinski. "I jumped into my first graduate class last fall as an 18-year-old sophomore, and it definitely was a transition that involved learning the 'unwritten rules' of being a graduate student."
"Lisa, as a student-athlete, is able to focus on mastering academic material or athletic skills, and she is willing to work hard to achieve this mastery. She is an outstanding time-manager who is able to balance the host of competing demands on her time," said Chair of the Department of Statistics, John Bailer.
In addition to having an office across from Werwinski's, Bailer helped the Canton, Ohio, native through the potentially overwhelming task of pursuing two separate degrees.
Graduate student lives can be very different from life as an undergrad. Mainly, students are older since they have already completed a bachelor's degree. Typically classes are paired with being a graduate assistant for a class or similar work-related experience.
"Amongst the graduate students, grades are not really the focus or even discussed," Werwinski explained. "Furthermore, graduate school is more collaborative in nature because everyone has already proven him or herself as an undergraduate and is working towards the same goal: mastery of a subject. Skipping class is considered unacceptable and extremely disrespectful."
Obviously, Werwinski has much more to juggle on her plate than the normal student, since she is an athlete. She attributed part of her success to certain key principles such as work ethic, time-management skills, avoiding procrastination and a rigorous high school curriculum making the transition into college easier. Despite all those great qualities, friends and faith are what Werswinski pointed to as the real reason she has accomplished so much.
"I believe that my Christian faith has been important to my success in the classroom. At the end of the day, I know that if I always put forth my best effort, everything will work out according to God's perfect plan," said Werwinski. "Before I take any exam or compete in any diving meet, I write a symbol on my hand that stands for 'Audience of One,' meaning that I strive to honor God alone through my performance in the classroom."
Like fellow Straight A Team member Sarah Mueller (the next Straight A Team member to be featured), Werwinski is a member of Athletes in Action, a nationwide group designed to build core Christian values in athletes of every different level of sports.
Early in her career, Werwinski and former RedHawk diver Chris Heaton (2005-09) became friends and shared their faith through athletics.
"Chris also showed me what it meant to train and compete for God alone. Chris's ability to rely on God and always have a heart for others has helped me to realize what matters in life," Werwinski said. "He has shown me the type of person I hope to become."
Out of the pool, Werwinski has had another Miami athlete to rely on for help: tennis senior Riekie Honiball. Honiball is also majoring in undergraduate mathematics and statistics. The two team up to tackle equations on a nightly basis.
Other athletes and friends have helped her during meets too. While competing at MACs, she tried not to fall behind in her stats class. Since there were no scanners readily available to send the professor her homework, she improvised. She took a picture of the homework, uploaded it, and sent it to a fellow student to turn in. Friends and teammates still get a good laugh from the anecdote.
On top of her tough academic load and athletic schedule, somehow, Werwinski found time to be a resident assistant (RA) in Hahne Hall last year. Hahne is located on North Quad and is primarily home to upperclassmen, especially athletes. Responsibilities of being an RA include helping residents with the transition into college, planning programs, and enforcing university policies.
In Werwinski's case, it involved being with the residents not just in the hall, but in the classroom as well.
"I served as a guest lecturer and taught three sections of a business statistics class (DSC 205) for a professor while she was out of town," Werwinski said. "Ironically, some of my residents from Hahne Hall were in the class!
So, with the lengthy resume, what will Werwinski do with her life after graduation in 2013? She hopes, stay right here in Oxford.
"I have a passion for education and helping others in any way possible. After college, I plan to either teach at Miami as a statistics instructor or teach mathematics at a local high school," said Werwinski. "This past summer, as the head diving coach for the Oxford swimming and diving team, I have discovered coaching is another passion of mine. As a result, I plan to continue my career as a diving coach for either a high school or private club. I also plan to get involved with church mission trips or youth ministry as a volunteer. I could see myself staying in Oxford for a long time after I graduate from Miami because I have fallen in love with the community and the place I have come to call home."
Words of Wisdom from Lisa Werwinski
My biggest piece of advice for incoming freshmen is...
To find the things you are passionate about and pursue them early on. Along the same lines, I know this is cliché, but I found that it is extremely important to be a genuine and authentic person. Pretending to be someone you are not can seem appealing initially, but it only leads to disappointment. As an RA, I frequently had residents tell me at the end of the year that they wished they had been more involved on campus or done something meaningful with their time at Miami.
My biggest piece of advice for incoming athletes is...
Humility is the most important aspect of being an athlete. This is something I have learned from my coach, KR Li. With a desire to improve and a willingness to listen to your coach and teammates, you really never know how far you can go. Furthermore, I have found that hard work is absolutely essential, but worrying about your performance or the performance of others will prevent you from reaching your full potential as an athlete. According to KR, diving is about working "smart" rather than just working hard. As athletes, the challenge is there for us to figure out the true meaning and implications of KR's words.
My favorite part about Miami is...
The Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center. Especially during the summers, I work, train, and basically live at the Rec. I enjoy working with everyone on staff and getting to know the community members. I have never had supervisors that care this much about me as a student, athlete, employee, and person.
Players Mentioned
