Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 3 | January 2018

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30 Inside Hokie Sports
So they often keep things bottled up, which
can lead to destructive consequences.
M.J. Ulrich knows all about this struggle.
A member of the Tech women’s swimming
and diving team and the current president of
Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
(SAAC), Ulrich struggled with the adjustment
to college life as a freshman in 2014. She also
waged a battle within herself as to whether to
seek help, as she fell into depression.
Ultimately, the good side won. She decided
to visit with Bennett, and he counseled her
and worked with Tech’s sports medicine
staff members on the proper medication for
her depression. They made sure she did not
violate any NCAA drug policy rules, all the
while protecting her privacy.
“In the eyes of society, you never want to
admit that you have a problem or need help,
especially as a student-athlete because you
want to be seen as that strong figure and that
role model for people,” Ulrich said. “You don’t
want it to ruin your image and what people
might think of you. The last thing I wanted
people to think was that I was needy or wasn’t
able to support myself, therefore, unable to
support my teammates.
“Thatwas themost difficult part—admitting
to myself that I had a problem. Once I
overcame that, it’s been much better and very
easy to manage.”
The good news is that more student-athletes
are conquering those fears. The numbers say so.
In Bennett’s first year in a part-time role
within the athletics department, he saw
approximately 30-40 student-athletes. This
past year, he and Knackstedt teamed to see
282. That number represents roughly half of
the student-athlete population at Tech.
Some probably view that number as
disturbing. Yet the sport psychologists view it
differently.
“At the end of the day, Dr. Bennett and I
see that as a good thing that they are coming
forward,” Knackstedt said. “Are there more
things that could be addressed before the
individuals come in to give some education
and provide some skills that they could
practice before they get to us? I think so. We
haven’t quite found the method to get the
information and deliver these group services
often to big chunks of the student-athlete
population. We’re working on that and doing
our best to get more information to more
people, but ultimately, Dr. Bennett and I don’t
see the high numbers as something that we
need to continually address.”
Knackstedt brings up a second challenge
facing he, Bennett and those in sports
medicine—finding a way to be proactive to
alleviate future issues. They want to get on the
front end of those issues, but how?
They do meet with teams and educate
student-athletes on the services offered.
They attend athletics events to develop the
relationships with the student-athletes.
Each semester, they conduct a “Mindfulness
Workshop” designed to alleviate stress and
anxiety, but that isn’t overly well attended.
Student-athletes just simply lack the time to
fit a session like this into their schedules.
“It’s a work in progress, I’ll be honest with
you,” Knackstedt said. “I think our goal is to
continue to offer unique and dynamic services
that can meet the needs of people.
“Part of what we’re looking at is how we
can get the information to student-athletes
without adding another big obligation to their
weekly schedules. That’s what we’re up against
in terms of disseminating the information
to the appropriate people—the time crunch
and going up against other obligations that
student-athletes take on when they do have
the time.”
Ultimately, they work with the sports
medicine staff to continue to treat Tech’s
student-athletes, while trying to figure out the
future for mental health services among that
group. All staff members collect information,
form opinions and then try to create a long-
term vision for care.
Tech
athletics
ahead of game
when it comes to
mental health care
Continued
from
page 29