It is challenging being a one sport student-athlete at the college level considering the strong competition in sports and the pressure to do well in the classroom. It is even tougher to be a two-sport athlete while balancing a full class load and trying to be successful at all three.

Former IVCC student athlete, Quincie Weber is a prime example of a dual sport athlete during her two years attending IVCC in 2016- 2018. When she finished basketball season, she had no time to rest before beginning her softball season. Most people would want a break from the craziness of playing two sports, but she never missed a beat and was still able to maintain her 4.0 grade point average throughout her college career.

“Playing sports has always been a huge part of my life and being able to continue to play sports made my experience at IVCC that much more enjoyable,” said Weber. Weber comments, “she likes to challenge and push herself into accomplishing the goals she sets for herself. Playing the two sports was a great decision, I feel it made me a more well-rounded individual.”

Weber was a three-sport athlete all four years during her high school career and academically still finished sixth in her class. According to the LaSalle News-Tribune article in 2016 titled, Weber to play two sports at IVCC, Weber was supported by all of her coaches from high school and the two coaches from IVCC to continue her athletic career. L-P softball coach Mike Schmidt stated in the article, “Weber is a leader, she works hard. She’s a tremendous student, I have no doubt she’s going to succeed at the next level.” Weber was also the 2016 News-Tribune Softball Player of the Year. According to the article, Unexpected Season Weber received several awards including All-Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference honor.

While attending IVCC and playing the two sports, Weber continued being involved in activities and clubs. She was enrolled in honor programs, was a student ambassador, on student government and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa. She stresses that being involved helps people become more disciplined and helps them understand that hard work can pay off.

In the past, Weber had younger high school students ask if it was difficult balancing the two sports at IVCC while keeping up with schoolwork. Her response was, “It takes commitment and dedication, but it can be done. When I was in my sports seasons it kept me on a more focused schedule and made me learn great time management skills, which everyone needs throughout their lives.” Other benefits of playing two sports were having the opportunity to play with other athletics from other schools and the possibility of having an athletic scholarship to assist with tuition fees.

Weber continues to juggle many responsibilities still today while pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and being a teacher’s assistant at the college level. She continues to enjoy her love for sports by playing intramural sports as well. She comments, “The busier I am, the more productive I can be.” Being a dual sport athlete can be tough and challenging but it can be done, and it can drive students to be the best that they can be in sports and in the classroom.