The First Steps of a Long Journey - Mental Health and D3 T&F

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When I first sat down to work on a piece about mental health, it was in anticipation of May, mental health awareness month. In the time between when I pitched this article and completed it, at least three college athletes have tragically died by suicide, reviving a national conversation about mental health in collegiate athletics. 

Mental health could appear to be at the forefront of the D3 ethos. Many runners choose to attend a D3 college in search of the elusive “balanced” student-athlete experience: a place where educational and athletic goals complement instead of compete, with enough time left over to explore the other aspects of the college experience. 

However, according to a 2019 survey conducted by the NCAA, D3 athletes estimate that they spend approximately 28 hours per week on athletics-related activities and devote another 40 hours per week to academics. Add in an on-campus job or extracurricular activities, along with the average 6.25 hours of sleep that D3 athletes get each night, and there isn’t much time left for anything else. 

Track and field athletes are no strangers to working efficiently to beat the clock. Look at the bleachers at a D3 meet, and you’ll see students typing lab reports and scribbling notes on their readings. In many ways, mastering the art of fitting in homework on bus rides and in between events is a  part of the D3 track and field lifestyle. 

In the fall of 2020, 94% of D3 women and 79% of men surveyed by the NCAA reported that they felt “overwhelmed by all that they had to do.” Another 38% of women and 23% of men reported feeling “so depressed that it was difficult to function.”

Conversations around mental health are often hijacked by those who see or perhaps have experienced care as a scarcity. “Back in my day…” the response often begins before dismissing today’s student-athletes as privileged or sensitive. 

The reprisal can be even harsher for D3 athletes, who are not dependent on an athletics scholarship. “Just quit if it’s too much,” some might say. This oversimplification disguised as a solution does not account for the loss of identity, community, and support that leaving what is often a lifetime sport can entail.

We reached out to the D3 community to learn about what conversations were already happening about mental health. No single article can account for every experience, but we approached this one the way runners take on any challenge. There’s no hope of winning if we don’t start somewhere. 

Ending the Stigma: The Hidden Opponent on D3 Campuses

It takes a special kind of person to take part in the grueling hours and training that track and field demands—for fun. Whether it’s reps in the weight room, Sunday long runs, or intensive sprinting workouts, success in the sport requires discipline and courage: there’s nowhere to hide when you step on the line or in the ring for competition.

“Track and field is a very vulnerable sport,” assistant coach Abby Fliehler of Wartburg College pointed out in an email interview with D3GD. “You are putting yourself out there as an individual to see where you match up. Although it is a team sport, your competition piece is you alone… if you get in your head, if you start doubting, if you aren’t able to relax and focus because of anxiety or the feeling that you have the weight of the world on your shoulders for your team, that stress can become crippling.”

Anyone who has ever received the baton in last place as the anchor leg will nod vigorously at Fliehler’s statement. This stress can become even more pronounced in field events like the high jump or pole vault, where even the winner concludes the competition with a failure to clear the bar.

Caitlin Behan, a senior at Gwynedd Mercy University in Pennsylvania, knows this feeling well. Behan has competed in the pole vault for over seven years and has worked hard to reframe her approach to competition.

“It has taken me a long time to realize that although not every performance will be outstanding, it is always essential to pick out what you did well,” said Behan. “Practicing mental wellness [means] listening to what my mind and body have to say, not pushing myself past my limits, and accepting that no matter how I perform on the track, I am more than just an athlete.”  

This past summer, Behan learned about The Hidden Opponent, a mental health advocacy group for college athletes, and decided to start a chapter on her campus. The organization sponsors guest speakers on topics linked to student-athlete mental health, including dealing with injuries, establishing an identity outside of athletics, and developing a healthy relationship with food. 

Photo Credit: Caitlin Behan

Most recently, Behan’s chapter held a mental health awareness meet to encourage conversation . Ultimately, Behan hopes to help end the stigma around talking about mental health issues.“I want others to know that they are not alone in their struggles,” said Behan.

Integrating Care into Coaching

Coaches spend more time with student-athletes than almost any other position on a college campus. In the same study conducted by the NCAA, 83% of D3 women and 77% of men responded that they “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with the statement, “My coach cares about my mental well-being.” Another 68% of men and 56% of women student-athletes responded affirmatively to the statement, “I would feel comfortable talking to my coaches about mental health issues.” 

Most D3 coaches begin their career with a passion for the sport and working with student-athletes. They gain experience on the ground and through coaching clinics as they go. Many are former student-athletes who begin coaching at an early age, which can mean that unless they specifically seek it out, they may have little to no formal training in mental health. 

This was the case for Bethany Brewster, the head coach of Edgewood College, a small D3 school in Madison, Wisconsin. Brewster arrived at Edgewood in 2004 with an impressive track record: 10 state championships in high school, 11 Big-Ten Championships, and six All-American honors competing for the University of Wisconsin. She was also fresh off a personal best time in the 1500 meters at the 2004 Olympic Trials. 

In her beginning years as a coach, Brewster had athletes confide in her about the harrowing events happening in their lives. She quickly realized she would need more help in learning to navigate the non-technical aspects of working with college athletes. 

“I can coach the X’s and O’s of running, but that's not this. I need more skills,” Brewster recalled thinking. “I can go up to USTFCCCA level two and get all the science behind coaching that I want. But there's no class on if your student-athlete loses their parents; this is what you should do.”

Brewster enrolled in a master’s program to earn a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. This program gave her the skills to bolster what she calls “the art” of coaching—learning how to best relate to, communicate with, and support her athletes during the tumultuous years of college.

“I gained a lot of knowledge about empathy and the ability to just listen and not give advice,” Brewster said. “But let's be real. Straight up, I’m not the perfect coach. I know there are things that I say that are still not the right thing to say. I’m still learning, forever learning.” 

It’s refreshing to hear a track coach admit their shortcomings and desire for improvement. Brewster would argue it’s also an essential part of modeling the kind of reflection, humility, and self-awareness she hopes to instill in her athletes.

“I think we need to be more vulnerable as coaches, be more real and talk about the hardships. How many [coaches] have a fireside chat talking about their failures with their athletes? Too often our students don’t see that, the things that make their coaches human.”  

At Wartburg College, assistant Coach Fliehler echoed the importance of speaking openly about struggle and failure. Fliehler and March Newsom, Wartburg's head coach, emphasize relationship building and positive team culture through intentional activities and facilitated dialogues at their preseason camp. Newsom also invites Stephanie Newsom, director of counseling services at Wartburg (and his wife), to speak with the team about the available resources on campus.

Fliehler believes the openness around these issues is particularly impactful for the men in their program, who can often face additional gendered stigma when reaching out for help.

“Coach Newsom gives them a place, and sometimes the first place in their lives, where they see another man speak about these things, where it is okay to be emotional, to talk about struggle, and to be proud of what you’ve overcome,” Fliehler said.

“No Watch Run Days” and Looking Long-Term

Both Fliehler and Brewster also highlighted the importance of accommodating the often-overloaded schedules of their students.

“We create very flexible schedules around finals week and the week prior, so athletes are able to focus on being a student first. Having practice on their own or excusing athletes from practice when they need to catch up on academics helps alleviate the stress many student-athletes feel with their busy schedules,” said Fliehler. 

At Edgewood, Brewster gives her team Thursdays off from practice and doesn’t require them to meet during the weekend when there isn’t a competition.

“I wanted student-athletes to have a day where they can just be. If you [run] cross country and track, there is no offseason…I wanted students to be students: to have time for group projects, to have time for a job, to have time to just hang out with your roommates at 4:00 pm.”

Brewster also enforces “No Watch Run Day,” where she encourages her runners to ditch their wristbands and enjoy a run for what it is. In today’s world of heart rate monitors and Strava kudos, this can be a relief that students aren’t even aware that they need until they try it. 

And let’s be clear—all the coaches mentioned here have numerous awards to their names and program. They want to win, but they also know there is often more than winning at stake. Brewster acknowledged that it can be difficult to accept, or in some cases encourage, that a student-athlete take time away from the team to focus on mental health, particularly when they might be a key player. 

“Mental health is a lifestyle,” Brewster explained. “You have to look long term. This isn't about that right here, right now. I'm thinking about you ten years from now.”

Fliehler believes that trusting her athletes to take time when they need it helps them grow on and off the track.

“I have seen transformational things happen in this program in the 20 years I have been associated with it. I believe the reason they are able to be strong on the track is because they are supported in risk-taking. They know that they have a family behind them who wants them to succeed but will also be there when they fail.”

                                                                                                    

It was heartening to hear the stories of the athletes and coaches who reached out to D3 Glory Days to talk about how they integrate mental health best practices into their team cultures. At the same, it’s essential to go beyond the anecdotal and acknowledge the deeply embedded structural deficits in college sports that can compound mental health issues.

Many D3 athletic departments do not have the funds to employ full-time coaches. The competitive and transitive job market of coaching also means that many student-athletes may have different coaches throughout their time in college, lessening the ability to build trusting relationships with their coaches. 

Coaches and administrators are also often overworked and focused on getting the basics of practicing, competing, and recruiting done. Budgeting time to host speakers, attend educational trainings, or integrate best practices for supporting mental health into an athletic department adds to an already exhaustive to-do list. As the last few months have shown, however, student-athletes can’t afford to wait any longer.

Mental health must be addressed across many levels; there is no single solution. We need more student-athletes and advocacy groups to foster inclusive and supportive dialogue to raise awareness and reduce stigma. We need more coaches and administrators with the skills and educational backgrounds to know how to connect with their athletes and direct them to the appropriate places to get help. But we also need institutional and structural support at the university and national level—funding, campaigns, and guidance from organizing bodies like the NCAA. It may be cliché, but this is a team effort, and it cannot fall on one group alone.

We’ll end this article with a quote from Coach Brewster recalling the message she reiterates to her team, one that we believe is important for every D3 athlete to hear:

“My care and concern for you as a person is not based on your performance. Let me stay that again: my care and concern for you as a person is not based on your performance. You are cared for; you are valued.”

Looking for resources on mental health? Check out this resource page created by the Global Sport Matters Institute at Arizona State University. 

Looking for more information on The Hidden Opponent? Check out their webpage here.

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