Meet Laura Davis. She’s a Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology major, an athlete who finished in the top 10 individually in the NCAA Division III Nationals, and a successful applicant to a nationally recognized medical school.

Meet Sam Spiegel. He’s an all-conference varsity tennis player, a competitive debater, and an academic star who has been awarded Canada’s prestigious Trudeau fellowship.

Whitman student athletes exemplify the balanced, multidimensional nature of the Whitman experience. They are devoted athletes. But their love for their sport is matched by their passion for the arts and sciences, for social activism and volunteerism, for participating in our fraternities and sororities, for playing leadership roles in student government, and for taking advantage of all the study abroad, internship, and research opportunities Whitman offers.

“One of the best things about Whitman is that most students branch out of their comfort zone and try new things,” says J. J. Ooi, a Whittie originally from Beaverton, Oregon. “I am currently part of the varsity basketball team as well as a member of the Phi Delta Theta, two things I never thought I would get a chance to do.”

Competitive athletes. Whitman student-athletes are respected competitors at the NCAA Division III level (and the Division I level in Alpine and Nordic skiing) within the Northwest Conference in nine men’s and nine women’s athletic programs. In 2005, Whitman’s combined alpine-Nordic skiing team placed 17th in the nation in NCAA competition (in fact, Laura Valaas ’06, a member of that team is now a member of the U.S. Ski Team). Whitman varsity squads have won conference championships in men’s tennis and women’s basketball.

Engaged students. Competitive in the classroom as well as on the playing field, Whitman student-athletes regularly win Academic All-American recognition, and Fulbright and Watson Scholarships. They also earn admission to some of the most prestigious graduate and professional programs in the nation. “From our varsity sports and physical education classes to intramural and club sports, at Whitman, athletics is well-integrated into our overall academic mission,” explains Athletic Director Dean Snider. “We have an outstanding group of coaches who consider themselves to be educators, and rightly so. Because what they pursue is excellence, in the field or in the classroom. And they work very, very hard at what they do.” This is why Whitman coaches often require athletes to study for an exam or write a paper while traveling for away-games. It is also why the average GPA and retention rate for student-athletes at Whitman is sometimes higher than that of the general student population.