Transitioning to becoming a college student athlete is difficult. College athletes are bigger, faster, smarter and more experienced than high school athletes, so making the jump to college sports is more difficult than most would think. Well, that’s not the case for a few first-year students here on campus. 

Jake Gaffaney, a first-year kicker on the football team, made the jump to college football quicker than most. Gaffaney started in nine games at kickoff while recording 64 kickoffs for 3,694 total yards. Gaffaney also drilled six field goals and extra points on six attempts.  

Gaffaney explains his challenges with this transition, stating, “I lift a lot in the off-season and then kick right after, so it was pretty tiring.” A huge part of all sports is putting in the physical reps, but athletes must also focus on mental toughness, like visualization. “My coach, Seth (Harrison), and I do a lot of visualization.” Visualization is huge, and a lot of elite athletes use it to help them focus for their competition, some notable athletes being Michael Phelps and LeBron James.  

The mental side of sports is often forgotten, but great athletes know that it is important to get their minds right before their event or game. Lily Cardenas, a first-year standout for the women’s soccer team, believes that mentality is crucial in preparing for a game, and is almost as important as the game itself. Cardenas says, “Before we go into anything, we always take a deep breath and then we take a minute or so and we just envision what we’re going to do good, how we’re going to help our team.” 

Cardenas, who appeared in every game played by the 2024-25 Pirates season, tallied three goals, including an overtime winning goal against Lewis and Clark on Nov. 6.  

Cardenas and Gaffaney believe that their preparation in high school has helped them earn important roles on their teams in their first year at the collegiate level. Cardenas explains her preparation, stating, “Yeah, a lot of training in the summer, and then I played on a women’s team, and all of the girls that went to college come back to play on the team.”  

The offseason is a crucial time for athletes to let their bodies rest and to build new skills and muscle in the weight room to prepare for their next season. Gaffaney comments, “Just staying in the weight room, mostly just getting confidence there and just getting a lot of reps kicking too, just going through hard stuff in the summer helps.”  

First-year students don’t often play and usually take that year as a year to learn and get adjusted to the speed and strength of their sport.  Cardenas and Gaffaney are two notable first-year students who have stood out in their first year of college athletics.