NOTE: As part of NCAA Division III week, the Saint Mary's Sports Information Office sat down with several Cardinals to talk about what it means to be a Division III student-athlete.
 
By EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
Mandy Sailor (Ramsey, Minn.) is a senior Psychology major on the Cardinal women's hockey team. Sailor is a repeat member of the Academic All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Team.
 
EL: How have the coaches at Saint Mary's helped you grow as a player and person?
MS: I have been grateful to play for some incredibly invested coaches. My first three years, I played for Terry Mannor and Greg Moore. Terry is a person that if you are in his presence, consider yourself lucky. My final season, I played for Greg Moore as a head coach, with Jason Carter as the new assistant coach. Firstly, what a duo those two are. Secondly, I can't express how much I loved coming to the rink every single day since September and that largely had to do with the people who were there. Greg and Jason care about your successes on and off the ice and I couldn't be more thankful for that.


Beyond my hockey coaches, I have created relationships with many other coaches and athletic administration staff who have persistently supported and cared for my experience as a student-athlete. Thank you, all Saint Mary's coaches, for the best four years.
 
EL: What's the best part of being a Cardinal?
MS: The best part of being a Cardinal is the people. You can find athletics and academic programs everywhere, but the people on our campus are incomparable to other colleges. It's so easy to take for granted being surrounded by your best friends on a daily basis but as I approach graduation, I can genuinely say the people are the best thing about Saint Mary's.
 
EL: Has playing at the D3 level allowed you to be more involved on campus?
MS: Playing at the D3 level has allowed me to become more involved than I could have ever dreamed of. In addition to being a women's hockey student-athlete, I am a Peer Learning Assistant and a tutor, I served as the SAAC Vice President and member for two years, and I have been the Psi Chi Honor Society President for the past two years. Academically, I have pursued research since I was a sophomore and I had an internship last semester for the Wellness and Athletic Department. In addition to extracurriculars and academics, I have been fortunate enough to have on-campus jobs throughout my four years. Looking back, I can truly attest to the plethora of academic and volunteer opportunities D3 can offer you.
 
EL: How have you balanced school and athletics?
MS: The balance is not always easy but time management and prioritizing has been the biggest factors to achieving success. It's not always fun to choose studying or getting in an extra training session, but I have never regretted not putting in the extra time especially because it's allowed me to be an Cardinal student-athlete.
 
EL: What would your advice be to a freshman student-athlete?
MS: I would have two things to say to a freshman student-athlete. My first comment is to understand how privileged you are to wear a Cardinal jersey. Many people have worn it before you who deserve your respect and commitment to this program. Secondly, always do more! Whatever it is, academics or athletics, do the extra work. I promise you will never regret that.
 
EL: Overall, what has your experience as a student-athlete at Saint Mary's University been like?
MS: I cannot describe my experience as a student-athlete at SMU rightfully through words. SMU has given me several frustrations, failures, successes and some of the best moments of my life this far. I have become a better person and I owe that to my last four years here.