“I think we’re going to win three national championships the next three years.”
Harper Murray, a former Nebraska volleyball player, said this almost 9 months ago. Then she went into a self-destructive downward spiral that was covered in an article by Elizabeth Merrill for ESPN. Something that Murray talked about in the article was how the reactions to what she said affected her mental health.
While there may not be as much media coverage here at Wayne State College, athletes can still have their mental health affected.
“I think that pressure gets to all of us in some way or another,” Mitchell Rudie, a sprinter on the men’s track team, said. “I personally watch my races on the bus ride back to the hotel, just reviewing how I ran and what mistakes I’ve made. I know some people take it out on themselves during the meet, after, or even later in the week.”
Rudie talked about how the NCAA made a big push for Division I schools to improve and build upon the mental health policies. The second edition of the Mental Health Best Practices document has information on how mental health interacts with things like sports betting, social media and name, image, and likeness. It also details specific considerations for student-athletes of color, international student-athletes, student-athletes with disabilities, etc.
Rudie also talked about if he’s ever felt pressure while competing here at WSC. The biggest reality check he had was that ‘you will get beat; you will lose’ mentality. He said the most important thing to remember when these things happen is to focus on and trust in your training, and ride the waves of good days and bad days, keeping your head above water.
“I feel like every athlete has put pressure on themselves to succeed because we want to be the best at our sport,” Rudie said. “I put pressure on myself, but I use that pressure to help me run better. I might feel the need to impress my coaches or make them proud so I might feel pressure from that but overall, my coaches have always been supportive and find a way for me to improve.”
When asked about how he manages the stress so it doesn’t overwhelm him, Rudie talked about how he tries to take a step back and enjoy the smaller things in his life.
“I think my base and my foundation is my family,” he said. “They can’t always be at my athletic events, but they will talk to me for hours and hours when I get home. I find joy in talking to them, spending time with them and visiting other family members in the area because without them I wouldn’t be the person I am.”
Rudie competes in the open 400m dash, the 4x400m and 4x100m relays and the 200m dash in outdoor and the 400m dash, and 500m and 600m runs in indoor. The track teams first meet is December 6 at the SDSU Classic in Brookings, South Dakota.