Competitive Edge
How the demands of undergraduate student-athlete life prepared these veterinary students for the rigors of learning veterinary medicine
By Sandra Sarr
We spoke with several LSU School of Veterinary Medicine students about how being a student-athlete in undergraduate school prepared them for the rigors of veterinary school. What they told us confirms the research: Participation in collegiate sports gave them an academic advantage.
“Effects of Student Athletics on Academic Performance,” an article in the Journal of Undergraduate Research, offers one example of research that concludes, “These athletes performed better in the classroom, developed impressive time-management skills, and felt motivated to complete their degree.”
Our students shared some of the ways in which collegiate sports instilled lessons that helped them tackle getting admitted to and succeeding in veterinary school.
Kierra Coleman, Class of 2023
Dance team, Louisiana Tech University
Hometown: Monroe, Louisiana
“Dance has taught me so many positive character traits that I have carried with me into veterinary school. Dancing on a collegiate level taught me endurance, sacrifice and most importantly balance. Performing every weekend and practicing multiple times during the week, all while maintaining a high GPA taught me how to balance school, dance, and life. I learned how to sacrifice some of life’s pleasures, such as hanging out with friends, to focus on more important things like perfecting my dance skills and studying for classes. I’m so blessed to have learned these lessons early in life because many times during this journey of becoming a veterinarian I wanted to quit and give up, but I remembered that there will be seasons in life where I must toughen up and endure a little pain and discomfort in order to achieve my goals. Now I am excelling in vet school and accomplishing everything I set out to do and more! I am co-charter and president of a new organization known as Student Association for Black Veterinarians. I am a first-generation college graduate, and I will be the first doctor in my family. I plan to practice small and exotic animal medicine and while possibly coaching a dance team in my spare time.”
Mark Laird, Class of 2023
Baseball, Louisiana State University
Men’s Baseball College World Series (freshman and senior years)
Louisiana Class 1A Most Valuable Player (2010 and 2012)
SEC Academic Honor Roll
SEC All-Tournament Team
Drafted by Philadelphia Phillies (2015)
Hometown: Monroe, Louisiana
“I have three older brothers; I’ve always had to prove myself. At age 22, I was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and for three years I played all over the U.S. As a kid, you dream of this kind of thing. In 2018, I was injured and sidelined. When you’re competitive at a high level and can’t play anymore—I had to rethink my path. The demands of being an athlete—practices, being on the road a week at a time, studying, taking 16 credit hours—prepared me for vet school. Learning to deal with 12,000 people in the audience when you’re on the field helps keep you on an even keel. When I first started at the vet school, I felt there was no way I could memorize what was required—anatomy, physiology, cell biology. My classmates are like my teammates. We help each other out. I know how to focus on something I’m passionate about. Becoming a veterinarian is my sole purpose now. It’s what powers me to be my best. I want to own my own small animal practice in Louisiana.”
Babette Sanmartin, Class of 2023
Basketball, St. Vincent College
2017-18 All-PAC Honorable Mention honors
Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland
“Being an athlete was a lesson in time management. Basketball is a winter sport, with pre-season in the fall and post-season in the spring. We did 7 a.m. conditioning Games run two-to-three hours a week. On every bus ride I would be doing schoolwork. I had to make sacrifices and give up most of my social life. I don’t regret it. We had great relationships with teammates. We came out stronger, better, we all did it together. In vet school I have a friend I study with for tough exams. I’m very excited about being a veterinarian. I want to go into laboratory animal medicine. I was a summer fellow with the Department of Laboratory Animal Medicine. I want to be part of the bigger picture of helping advance medicine for humans and animals.”
Darius Statham, Class of 2023
Track & field, Louisiana Tech University
2014 Indoor First Team All-Conference USA (4x400m Relay)
2015 Outdoor Second Team All-Conference USA (4x100m Relay)
2013 Georgia 400-meter state champion, Most Outstanding runner, Most Valuable Player (Mays High School)
Founder, LSU Student Association for Black Veterinarians
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
"My time as a student-athlete has had everything to do with my resilience in veterinary school. My track coaches drilled into us how important it was to focus on our own race. I heard them but it didn't stick at first. I would look around wondering why I wasn't performing at the same level as my competition or if I even deserved to be in the same line up. My real problem was I wasn't concentrating on my own lane. My coaches helped me realize that I was the one holding myself back. So, I started to overcome mental blocks, cut out negative thoughts, and went even harder. I had the exact same self-doubts starting vet school. I took the same tools used to overcome my mental barriers in track and applied them as a student. Now I have my advisors (Dr. Henry Green and Dr. Lorrie Gaschen) to remind me not to defeat myself before my race even begins. Student-athletes have to learn to balance school, athletics, and life. As a full-time student in a rigorous program while chartering and leading a new organization, Student Association for Black Veterinarians, I wouldn’t be this efficient with my time management in veterinary school without that experience as a former student-athlete."
Mark Golay, Class of 2024
Cross country, track & field, University of New Orleans
2016-18 Southland Conference Championships
2017 NCAA South Central Regional
2015 South Central Region Cross Country Championships
2015 Southland Conference Championships
Valedictorian, Ridgewood Prep High School
Hometown: Metairie, Louisiana
“We travelled every weekend for meets. I missed a lot of Friday classes. I had to take tests early, immediately after the lecture. Being a student-athlete played a big role in getting into vet school. It proved I could manage demands. As a runner, I had to be in bed by 10 p.m. to be up to run by 5 a.m. My meet and practice schedules could be unpredictable due to weather and other uncontrollable factors. I had to roll with it. I like that my vet school schedule is predictable. It allows me to look ahead and accomplish what I need to get done. The drive I had as an athlete (personal record in the mile is 4:29) is still with me as a vet student. I still go for my personal best. Running instilled confidence. I know who I am and what I’ve done, which serves me well in vet school. I still run for relaxation. When fall comes, I can feel in my body it’s cross-country season and time to race. I worked at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans feeding sharks and fish common to the Gulf of Mexico. I want to work in aquatics after I graduate.”
Maryella Cohn, Class of 2025
Cross country, track & field, Rhodes College
2016 track regionals first place
All-State cross country
Academic All-State cross country
2016 State third place cross country
District Champion cross country
Hometown: Houston, Texas
“I have wanted to go to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine since I was a little girl. I come from three generations of Tigers. I’m prepared for vet school because of the discipline required as an athlete. Both take mental grit and toughness to get through. I enjoy a challenge and know how to persevere. I value the teamwork among vet students. We’re all trying to get to the same place, and we can get a lot further together. As an athlete, I was MVP, running nationally qualifying times, always chasing a PR (personal record). Then, at my peak, I got injured and underwent surgery and rehabilitation. As I worked to regain my fitness, I led my team and helped them win. I consider this my greatest success as an athlete. As for my career, I am interested in wildlife and conservation. I spent a month in Namibia, South Africa, doing conservation efforts with lions, rhinos, and elephants. We studied the numbers and types of animals at water sources now that climate change has compromised those sources. We camped in tents in the desert. Being a student-athlete taught me that I could push past my limitations to accomplish my goals no matter what I am doing.”
Callie Ezell, Class of 2025
Cross country, track & field, Louisiana Tech University
C-USA Track and Field All-Academic Team
C-USA Academic Medalist
C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll
Valedictorian, St. Frederick High School
Hometown: Delhi, Louisiana
“Running is a mental sport. You must have a strong mind. It’s going to hurt—you just keep going. Our coaches were adamant about nothing getting in the way of school. Our teams would travel Friday night and return Saturday after the meet. We had Sundays off. I strived to be the best I could be. If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it well. I worked on Louisiana Tech’s livestock farm for two years tending pigs, sheep, donkeys, and chickens. I shadowed the veterinarian in the clinic. I became a manager there hiring employees and selecting sows and boars for breeding. Being a veterinarian has always been my goal. Learning muscles and bones, how they relate to each other, how they move, is fascinating, particularly as an athlete. I still run for stress relief, but now I’m just doing school—no more 6 a.m. practices. I know how to pace myself.”
Alexandria Taylor, Class of 2025
Softball, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff
2019 Team Captain
Voted Hardest Working teammates
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
“I’ve been playing softball since age 4. I was planning to try out for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Softball was added back that year but postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. My softball scholarships covered my undergraduate education. Being an athlete helped me make the transition to vet school. Sports required discipline, perseverance, and mental stability. I can understand why some quit. I worked as a vet tech in a Dallas small animal clinic for two years. I want to specialize in Dermatology because it involves the power of observation. My biggest academic achievement so far was getting into vet school. It was expensive and hard work. I spent a year-and-a-half retaking classes. I was voted Hardest Working by my softball teammates because I showed up to every practice, pushed myself 100 percent, and participated in every fundraiser. At vet school, I show up every day, ask questions, and join clubs. Anatomy class shows us things like how important the patella is for flexing and extending muscles, something our coaches also told us. I miss playing softball, but it’s nice not to have sore arms or legs when I show up to class.”
Carlos Zervigon, Class of 2025
Cross country, track & field, Tulane University
2019-20 Cross country:
Finished 59th at the NCAA South Central Regional Championship
American Athletic Conference Championship
American Athletic Conference All-Academic team (2017-2020)
2018-19 Track & field:
Finished 10th at The American Outdoor Championship 10k
Placed 5th at the Southern Miss Open
Placed 3rd Southeastern Louisiana Strawberry Relays
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
“Cross country and track are year-round sports. What I did as a student-athlete is helping me to not fall behind in vet school. A lot of information is thrown at us the first year. I apply the same level of commitment to my veterinary studies as I did as a student athlete. During my senior cross country season, I had a stress reaction in my foot and missed six weeks of training. I could have either let the injury get the best of me or continue being disciplined with my training. I chose the latter and worked out in the pool and on the elliptical. I worked through the injury and came back stronger. In high school, I had chronic exertional compartment syndrome, which rendered my calf muscles useless. I spent a total of six months recovering from multiple surgeries. Once I got healthy, I helped lead the team to back-to-back state championship victories my junior and senior years. All of my efforts and accomplishments as a student athlete came together when I was accepted to vet school. I am the first recipient of the A.B. Freeman Scholarship, which pays my tuition all four years. Outside of the classroom, I have been hired as a live-in at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. We have a supportive group of live-ins here. I wanted to have a team feeling since I’m no longer on a sports team. I’m handling my first year of vet school by moving from one step to another, being confident and disciplined, just as I was as an athlete.”