#BigWestCares - Mental Health




In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Big West Conference has asked student-athletes at our member institutions what mental health means to them. The Big West would like to applaud these student-athletes for helping to #breakthestigma surrounding mental health in college athletics.

The Big West Conference and the NCAA are committed to supporting and improving the mental health of student-athletes. Resources are available at both the NCAA (NCAA Mental Health Resources) and the institutional level. 

“What Mental Health Means to Me” by student-athletes from around the Big West Conference:

Cal Poly

• Elizabeth Scholtes, Women’s Golf
  • To me, mental health means accepting that I’m not invisible and need to spend quality time taking care of myself. This means setting aside some “me” time away from the golf course and school.

Cal State Fullerton

• Sela Pastrana, Women’s Track & Field
  • Personally, maintaining a strong mental health means having some stability. Without a good understanding of your mental, it is almost impossible to function properly. Our minds are fully intertwined with our bodies, so it would be wrong to ever assume that they don’t work together.
• Sofia Legaspi, Women’s Golf
  • I think that mental health is a very important aspect in a person’s life that most people often neglect or not take importance of. For me it is very important since it can affect how I interact with people and how I preform in school and in my sport. As a student athlete, our schedule can sometimes be overwhelming and I think people need to take care of their mental health just as much as they take care of their physical wellbeing.

CSUN

• Tori Wilson, Women’s Water Polo
  • Mental Health is a necessity that must come first. It should be treated with the same amount of care that physical injuries receive and integrated within the American education system well before you enter college. Mental health is about taking care of yourself and should be a normalized and regular conversation topic.
• Kylee Jansen, Women’s Water Polo
  • Mental health is a real thing and needs to be talked about more.

Long Beach State

• Faris Babineaux, Men’s Track & Field
  • Mental health means that despite always trying to better myself, I am content in what I am.  While working to achieve long term goals it is important to celebrate even the smallest victories.  Loving yourself will help you stay at peace.
• Colin Slater, Men’s Basketball
  • Mental health to me is checking in on how you are doing emotionally and forming healthy habits to help mental growth as well as adaptability during these times. A sound mind can create more opportunities to support family and friends.
• Jordan Roberts, Men’s Basketball
  • Mental health is important in my opinion, it’s a concept that reflects a person’s well-being emotionally and physically.
• Kayla Cannon, Women’s Soccer
  • Mental health is very important to me. It means emotional stability, and well-being in all aspects of life.
• Sydney Stevens, Beach Volleyball
  • Mental health to me means to be mindful of your thoughts and feelings to make sure they are creating a space for you to grow in.
• Alyssa Gonzalez, Softball 
  • Mental health is so important to me because playing softball is a game of failure and to be able to push though failure with my mental health allows me to be the best possible player.
• Naomi Hunt, Women’s Basketball
  • Mental health means loving yourself enough to carry yourself through each day. It means developing a healthy lifestyle to strengthen the love you have for yourself as well as the love you have for the world and the people around you.

UC Davis

• Emma Gibb, Women’s Basketball
  • To me, mental health means finding balance between mind and body, which is sometimes hard as an athlete. I have now realized how important it is to take care of my whole-being, not just the basketball part of me; this realization has really allowed me to change my relationship with myself.
• Annie Dalton, Women’s Lacrosse
  • To me, mental health is something that should always be a top priority. I feel that it is super important to continue to educate people around us on the importance of mental health.
• Anna Belenis, Women’s Lacrosse
  • Mental health can be hard to understand but it’s really important we try to.
• Kate Graham, Women’s Lacrosse
  •  Mental health is the basis for any and all of what we do in life. Mental health should be destigmatized as well.
• Katherine Kedeshian, Beach Volleyball
  • I think of mental health as well-being of the whole person, meaning you have a healthy relationship with your own body, emotions and experiences while also having healthy social relationships.
• Leah Timmerman, Women’s Swimming & Diving
  • Mental health to me is the understanding that we don’t have all prefect days and it is okay not to be okay. There are healthy ways to manage your emotions and there is help around you if you need it. Mental health is just as important as physical health.
• Theresa Nowack, Women’s Swimming & Diving
  • Mental health is just as important as physical health. It is about taking care of ourselves and our needs to feel good on the inside so that we can make positive progress towards our goals on the outside. We should strive to help those who are struggling, to reach a better mental state through kindness, understanding, and guidance. We all deserve to be happy.
• Sophie Murff, Women’s Swimming & Diving
  • Mental health means learning to acknowledge and value all aspects of yourself without judgement. It is having the courage to reach out for help when you feel the most vulnerable and finding out that there is a community of people who care about you. It means having compassion and patience for others and most importantly, for yourself.
• Sydney Holmes, Women’s Track & Field
  • Mental health is of utmost priority in life, sport and career. As someone who experienced extreme homesickness freshman year, mental health means to be connected to others. It means to be comfortable and vulnerable enough to share your true story. It takes immense bravery as an athlete to say that you are going through tough times. Athletes are taught that showing emotion is weakness, when in fact it is the birthplace of strength and long-term success.
• Julia Marriott, Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
  • To me, mental health means being able to appreciate life and enjoy it to the fullest, whether that means finding even the smallest bright side in tough times, or letting yourself relish in the good.In another perspective, mental health is also respecting your personal limits and at the same time accepting the treatment you deserve from others and yourself.
• Ryman Crone, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
  • In my opinion, the most important aspect of mental health is being able to recognize that emotional obstacles are opportunities to share difficulties and connect with others. By sharing our stories, we can better understand each other and effectively act as a unified support system.
• Arjith Jayaraman, Men’s Tennis
  • Mental health means as social creatures, having a support system that aids you in coping with chronic and acute stress.
• Ivan Mendez, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
  • Open and honest communication about your well-being, so in both good and bad times, you can stay positive.

UC Irvine

• Megan Yang, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health is important so that I can perform to the best of my ability.

• Maddie Riggs, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health is believing you are strong enough to overcome challenges and not dwelling on things you cannot control.
• Angela Bagasbas, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health is about my behavioral and emotional well-being. It is how I think, behave, and feel everyday.
• Olivia Canales, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health is a person’s psychological and emotional well-being.
• Cameron Lee, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health is dealing with stress that comes with being a student-athlete.
• Gabby Gonzalez, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health means to me a big deep breath and staying focused on the important things in life.
• Sienna Lyford, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health is being able to accept challenges and maintain a positive outlook even during stressful times.
• Sabrina Li, Women’s Golf
  • Mental health to me is just as important as physical health. A lot of times people think of the negative side of mental health but I feel like I should also focus on the positives! Positive mental health is when you feel optimistic, can cope with normal life stresses, and accept yourself the way you are.
• Lauren McKimmey, Women’s Soccer
  • Mental health means (to me) being happy with who you are and where you are in life!
• Sarah Ralston, Women’s Soccer
  • There’s strength in vulnerability.
• Samantha Nieto, Women’s Soccer
  • Mental health to me means overcoming the challenges in our lives in a happy and healthy way.
• Glo Hinojosa, Women’s Soccer
  • What metal health means to me is you never know what people are going through so always talk to people and tell them you are there for them no matter what.
• Destinee Manzo, Women’s Soccer
  • Mental health is very important to me. When I feel like my worlds turning upside down, I make sure to find any little thing to be appreciative of and enjoy life as much as possible. Don’t make daily struggles stop you from living your best life.
• Mac Madison, Women’s Soccer
  • Mental health to me is knowing it’s okay to not feel okay.
• Andres Woodruff, Men’s Track & Field
  • Mental health to me means happiness in the mind, body, and soul!
• Lucas Anotado, Men’s Track & Field
  • What mental health means to me is taking care of your well-being.
• Emily Ruff, Women’s Track & Field
  • Mental health is very important to me as a student-athlete! If I don't have a stable and positive mentality in the classroom or on the track, progress isn't going to be made. It's important that I seek help if I ever feel low or down about what I'm doing!
• Dasee Carter, Women’s Tennis
  • Mental Health to me is accepting that it's okay to not be okay and learning how to cope with and get through those times.
• Jess Tsukiji, Women’s Tennis
  • Mental health to me means taking the time and making the effort to get to know, understand, listen, and be kind to yourself. Seek help when you need it and stay positive even when things are tough.
• Alyssa Fossorier, Women’s Tennis
  • To be mentally healthy is something I am constantly trying to improve on. We are already so critical and negative towards ourselves, yet that pressure is increased by external factors such as family, sports, and school. Each person is dealing with their own troubles and admitting you need help is quite hard. The fact that UC Irvine has such a caring support system through people such as Dr. Milo is something I'm very grateful for.
• Jenna Schlatter, Women’s Tennis
  • Mental health is extremely important to me because having a clear and happy head space allows me to accomplish so much more in my academics, sports, and in life!

UC Riverside

• Katie Wong, Women’s Soccer
  • Mental health to me is taking a step back from life’s craziness to focus on my well-being so that I can help others facing their own internal battles.
• Angel Noriega, Men’s Soccer
  • If you’re not at a 100% with your mental health then you are likely to struggle in daily activities or life in general. People push mental health to a side because they don’t see instant downfalls. Mental health to me means to take care of yourself in order to be in the right mental space for any situation that comes your way.
• Gilbert Chung, Men’s Tennis
  • Having emotional well-being.
• Kathryn Hammar, Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
  • To me, mental health is the continuous and intentional instillation of concrete, positive truths into one’s daily mindset. With practice, these truths eventually become louder than both the lies that the world shouts at us and the lies that we whisper to ourselves.
• Jonick Pineda, Men’s Soccer
  • Mental health is a bigger issue than many set it to be. It is more than a stigma thrown around by people who are unaware of the issue. Mental health is an issue we need to put more attention to as it is affecting more people than we actually know and report it.

Hawai’i

• Olivia Hill, Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
  • Tough times don’t last, tough people do.