When minivans were being packed to the roof and stu dents were hustling to leave Athens for the summer at the end of finals week, some Ohio student-athletes had to wait patiently for their turn to rest. Others had little-to-no break.
Ohio baseball centerfield er Mitch Longo, who lived on West Green as a freshman last year, continued to maintain his baseball schedule well into May, while also balancing a daily routine that was devel oped throughout the year.
But Longo said he didn’t mind that Ohio’s season went until May 17.
“It’s just the life that comes with being a Division I ath lete,” Longo said. “I love base ball. It’s been a great experi ence.”
Although he suffered a season-ending injury at the end of April, Longo, a Mayfield native, stated that being an NCAA athlete requires a lot of time management and consis tency.
“Normally, I would have class in the morning and then have practice from 3:00-7:00 in the afternoon,” Longo said. “It’s not easy. You’re a student first, and your edu cation is important. I use my planner a lot to frame out my day, and some of the guys kind of poke fun at me for it, but it gets the job done.”
Longo isn’t the only athlete whose summer is consumed by sports, however, as Ohio foot ball wide receiver Justin Wy att, who lived in Boyd Hall as a freshman last year, said that being a collegiate athlete is a “24-hour job.”
“(During March and April), I didn’t practice much because of an ankle injury,” Wyatt said. “So I was basically a full-time student here. I would go up to the fourth floor (of Peden Stadium) and work and watch practice and do some therapy.”
Wyatt, who is from the At lanta area, was in Athens for the first summer session to take two classes and partici pate in offensive drills every week.
He’s practicing voluntarily until July 18, as the offense throws on Mondays, Wednes days and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.
“There’s not a whole lot of people up here during the sum mer,” Wyatt said. “It’s just ath letes up here, and there’s not a whole lot to do. So you just have to train and get better for next season.”
Wyatt and his teammates will begin their season Aug. 30 on the road against Mid-American Conference foe Kent State.
@LukeORoark
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