Indiana University Athletics
Academic Captains Lead Women’s Soccer To Second Herbert Cup
2/18/2016 1:51:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Winning the Herbert Cup—given each semester to the team with the highest GPA—reflects an above-average commitment to academic achievement away from athletics.
Winning it two fall semesters in a row might mean Indiana Women's Soccer is on to something.
"I guess you can say it wasn't a fluke," sophomore forward Kayla Smith said.
Far from it. Since taking over the program three seasons ago, Indiana head coach Amy Berbary has annually appointed academic captains to spearhead the Hoosiers' work in the classroom. The system helped Indiana to its first Herbert Cup in 2014 and a second in 2015 with an overall team GPA of over 3.5.
"Any time you can do something like this twice is pretty extraordinary," Berbary said. "When we won it last fall, I wasn't sure if we could ever do it again because it was such an amazing feat. To do it again just shows how dedicated our student-athletes are."
The Hoosiers credit their success in the classroom at least in part to the academic captains that serve as a liaison between the players, Berbary and academic advisor Eileen O'Rourke. Smith served as the academic captain last fall, replacing junior defender Marissa Borschke from the previous season.
The academic captain is responsible for setting team goals, checking in all teammates' progress and promoting academic competition within the program.
Smith divided the roster up into competitive teams based on major to see which group would have the highest GPA. The previous year, Borschke broke the players up by class to compete for classroom bragging rights.
"It's a good stepping stone for leadership on the team," Borschke said. "You learn what you have to do to be able to motivate other people. You're setting goals, holding people accountable and making sure everyone follows through with them."
Berbary said Indiana's academic achievement gives her one less thing to worry about during an otherwise busy season filled with practices, games and travel that the Hoosiers have to balance along with their academics.
She joked that there are times on the bus during road trips that it's typically the coaches who need to ask the players for permission to watch a movie heading to and from games, not the other way around.
"We joke around that we had to make a rule that after pregame meal, you're not allowed to look at a notecard or a book," she said. "We have fun with it."
Indiana was recognized on Branch McCracken Court for winning the Herbert Cup during Indiana Men's Basketball's win over Nebraska Wednesday night. The Hoosiers earned 14 Academic All-Big Ten selections and were given the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the fourth consecutive season to go along with the Hebert Cup.
Borschke and Smith both passed along credit to O'Rourke, who has gotten used to being recognized for academic achievement. Another team of hers, Men's Golf, registered its highest GPA on record in the fall to earn the second-highest mark at IU.
"We probably don't say thank you enough to her because she means so much to our team," Borschke said.
Added Smith: "She's pretty much a therapist, academic counselor and life guide all in one."
Smith and Borschke leave Indiana's next academic captain big shoes to fill, but the system Berbary has in place is already a proven success.
With a pair of Herbert Cup wins under the program's belt, Berbary said she's not entirely sure what to expect next season, but wants an even higher GPA with 11 new freshmen set to join the team.
They'll quickly find out that Indiana doesn't take the academic side lightly.
Quite frankly, Berbary and the academic captain won't allow it.
"They're going to push for it," Berbary said. "This is just so great for our team and so great for our players to be able to grow as people."
Winning it two fall semesters in a row might mean Indiana Women's Soccer is on to something.
"I guess you can say it wasn't a fluke," sophomore forward Kayla Smith said.
Far from it. Since taking over the program three seasons ago, Indiana head coach Amy Berbary has annually appointed academic captains to spearhead the Hoosiers' work in the classroom. The system helped Indiana to its first Herbert Cup in 2014 and a second in 2015 with an overall team GPA of over 3.5.
"Any time you can do something like this twice is pretty extraordinary," Berbary said. "When we won it last fall, I wasn't sure if we could ever do it again because it was such an amazing feat. To do it again just shows how dedicated our student-athletes are."
The Hoosiers credit their success in the classroom at least in part to the academic captains that serve as a liaison between the players, Berbary and academic advisor Eileen O'Rourke. Smith served as the academic captain last fall, replacing junior defender Marissa Borschke from the previous season.
The academic captain is responsible for setting team goals, checking in all teammates' progress and promoting academic competition within the program.
Smith divided the roster up into competitive teams based on major to see which group would have the highest GPA. The previous year, Borschke broke the players up by class to compete for classroom bragging rights.
"It's a good stepping stone for leadership on the team," Borschke said. "You learn what you have to do to be able to motivate other people. You're setting goals, holding people accountable and making sure everyone follows through with them."
Berbary said Indiana's academic achievement gives her one less thing to worry about during an otherwise busy season filled with practices, games and travel that the Hoosiers have to balance along with their academics.
She joked that there are times on the bus during road trips that it's typically the coaches who need to ask the players for permission to watch a movie heading to and from games, not the other way around.
"We joke around that we had to make a rule that after pregame meal, you're not allowed to look at a notecard or a book," she said. "We have fun with it."
Indiana was recognized on Branch McCracken Court for winning the Herbert Cup during Indiana Men's Basketball's win over Nebraska Wednesday night. The Hoosiers earned 14 Academic All-Big Ten selections and were given the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the fourth consecutive season to go along with the Hebert Cup.
Borschke and Smith both passed along credit to O'Rourke, who has gotten used to being recognized for academic achievement. Another team of hers, Men's Golf, registered its highest GPA on record in the fall to earn the second-highest mark at IU.
"We probably don't say thank you enough to her because she means so much to our team," Borschke said.
Added Smith: "She's pretty much a therapist, academic counselor and life guide all in one."
Smith and Borschke leave Indiana's next academic captain big shoes to fill, but the system Berbary has in place is already a proven success.
With a pair of Herbert Cup wins under the program's belt, Berbary said she's not entirely sure what to expect next season, but wants an even higher GPA with 11 new freshmen set to join the team.
They'll quickly find out that Indiana doesn't take the academic side lightly.
Quite frankly, Berbary and the academic captain won't allow it.
"They're going to push for it," Berbary said. "This is just so great for our team and so great for our players to be able to grow as people."
Players Mentioned
Defender
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