A student-athlete in the truest sense
Senior spotlight feature was written by Connor Wagner for CUWFalcons.com
Being successful takes time, effort and a little, or sometimes a lot, of talent. Just ask anyone who could be considered successful. Regardless of the field, the narrative stays the same, being the best isn't easy. A prime example of a Concordia Wisconsin student-athlete who will do and is doing great things is Audrey Scharmer.
The 5-foot-10 senior forward from Winona, Minnesota has had success in just about every aspect of collegiate athletics. Having been named a team captain as both a junior and senior for the Women's Basketball team, Scharmer has helped lead the Falcons to back-to-back NACC regular season titles, while leading the conference this year in rebounds per game and ranking in the top five in both scoring and field goal percentage.
Her basketball abilities are easy to see when watching the Falcons cruise past the opposition game after game. However, it's her academic skills that are putting her in a position for many more accomplishments upon graduation. Off the court Scharmer is studying to be a Physician's Assistant, has a 4.0 grade point average and was accepted into nearly every graduate school she applied to.
And while it may seem to the average fan that there aren't a lot of ways in which the classroom can apply to the basketball court, Scharmer says the mental aspects of studying have helped play a large part in her success.
"As a student, you have to be willing to focus and really put a lot of effort into the details of things and that's where basketball comes into play," the 2016-17 All-NACC Second Team honoree stated. "As a player, you have to be able to sit down and take the time away from practice to study film and figure out what tendencies certain players have and little details like that so that when you're playing it all just comes naturally."
A lot of Scharmer's success can be attributed to her head coach, Stacey Brunner-Jones, who pushes her team to be great both on the court and in the classroom. The 14th-year head coach expects a lot of her players and that entails team study sessions and mandatory grade checks each week, to keep players accountable for their academics. As a result, six student-athletes, including Scharmer, posted 4.0 GPAs in the fall semester.
"Coach sets a pretty high standard for all of us." expressed Scharmer. "It's pretty much established from the moment you step on campus that you're representing CUW Women's Basketball in everything you do and I think everyone really buys into it and brings their best effort in everything they do."
The standards set for academic excellence are largely what drew Scharmer to Concordia Wisconsin in the first place and she knows her undergraduate degree isn't the final step in her academic career. Having worked as both a Certified Nursing Assistant and a counselor in a special education program over the past year, Scharmer says that she plans on attending graduate school and ultimately working as a Physician's Assistant with a potential emphasis on pediatrics and special needs patients.
Scharmer has been highly successful on the court and maybe one day you will cross paths with her in a hospital or clinic and you'll be even more impressed by her professional abilities because of the academic achievements she obtained at Concordia Wisconsin.
