Admissions Blog: What it’s like to be a student-athlete at Sweet Briar

Lacey Tucker ’20 is a dual-sport athlete at Sweet Briar, playing both soccer and tennis.


Becoming a Sweet Briar woman is life-changing in and of itself, but becoming a student-athlete here takes that experience to a whole new level. I have never regretted it. Being a part of the athletic department has allowed me to grow as a person in many ways and has given me an amazing community of supportive women to go to when I am in need.

Joining a Division III varsity team at Sweet Briar created a safe and welcoming environment for me to come into as a first-year. From the day I stepped onto campus for the first time as a prospective student, I was welcomed with open arms. As a student here, those arms have continued to be open to me whenever I need them. Whether I am upset about school, sports or life in general, I always know that my teammates, coaches and friends on other teams are here for me. I loved coming into college knowing there would be a whole group of people to spend most of my time with. They quickly became my friends, role models, study partners and even tutors if I ever needed one.



My teammates and coaches not only support me on the field, they also hold me accountable for my actions and keep an eye on my grades. Being an athlete helps me stay motivated and organized with my school work. At Sweet Briar, practices are consistently at the same time each day and don’t interfere with class schedules, which makes it super convenient to plan your day and stick to a schedule. Each week we have practices, games and team events. As student-athletes, we get pretty good at time management! It is most likely because of this structure that here at Sweet Briar, student-athletes consistently have a higher average GPA than non-athletes.

Even if I hadn’t been able to be a student-athlete, I would never regret coming to Sweet Briar. However, my decision to play sports here has allowed me to gain friendships that I might never had had, put me into leadership roles that I wouldn’t have otherwise had, and given my life a needed structure that would have been difficult to create on my own. Being a student-athlete has enhanced my experience at Sweet Briar and has made me the happiest that I have ever been!

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Lacey Tucker is a sophomore from Swansboro, N.C. She is an admissions ambassador, an engineering major and a math minor. She also is a member of the tennis and soccer teams at Sweet Briar.