Last spring, my friend who is a student at the University of Michigan visited Ashland for a night. We went to an off-campus party.

The first thing my friend noticed was how many people in the house looked like athletes. His first thought was that we had somehow stumbled into an all-athletes party, something that would be nearly impossible at Michigan for two relatively un-athletic people such as ourselves.

Now that I’ve frightened everyone involved with Ashland athletics by starting this column off at an off-campus party, I’ll get to my point: we have A LOT of freaking athletes here.

Recent estimates have put the number at around 550 athletes. There are only 2,200 undergraduate students at Ashland. That means that roughly one-fourth of the student population competes on one of AU’s 18 varsity athletic teams.

Not only do they compete, they compete well. Ashland was recently awarded third place in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings, which rank every college athletics program on the basis of broad-based success (for more details, see the story on the right).

Baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, wrestling and women’s volleyball: all are among the best programs in Division II. Do you realize how amazing that is?

One-fourth of Ashland’s students are among the best of the best in their respective sports. And they take classes at a well-respected liberal arts university! You won’t find too many “rocks for jocks” classes here like some athletes take at many Division I public universities.

Look at the amount of hours these athletes spend practicing. Early mornings in the weight room, long afternoon sessions in the pool, grueling practices on a sunbaked field, late nights shooting in Kates Gymnasium and midnight film sessions in the Troop Center. I find their commitment inspiring.

One of my best friends is a diver. This year, he is the only guy on the team. Some mornings, he has to wake up before 5 a.m. to go lift. Every afternoon, he spends several hours on the board perfecting his list of dives. It was tough before. Now that he’s by himself, it has to really suck.

Golf would be a fun sport to play in college, right? Not always. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference tournaments are often held in November in Michigan. Plus, golfers have to go work on their swings inside during the winter. Kind of like practicing basketball without a hoop, huh?

Some athletes put themselves through all of those workouts only to compete in front of next to no one. Some sporting events even overlap or are played off campus, cutting the slim attendance down even more.

Home swim meets often take place at the same time as home football games. Baseball plays at Donges Field, which is wedged between a neighborhood and woods on the edge of town. The softball team plays its games at Brookside Park, and is sometimes moved away from its normal field because of high school tournaments. Who even knows where the tennis courts are? (They’re behind the away bleachers of the football stadium.)

Most fall athletes arrive on campus well before classes start, living in stuffy rooms and fending for themselves for food. Winter athletes barely have a Christmas break and some don’t have a spring break either. Not only do spring athletes not have a spring break, but they also have to stay on campus after classes have ended. Sure, some of them receive scholarships that pay for college, but the truth is that most of them don’t.

Where does that leave the rest of us? Most students are involved in some kind of extracurricular activity that eats up a lot of their time, but does that really compare with the commitments that athletes make?

For our next issue, The Collegian is honoring the athletics programs by having a representative from each of the 18 sports pose next to the Learfield Cup third place trophy. In order to do this, I emailed the athletes that we chose to represent each sport. Trying to figure out all of their schedules was a nightmare. An hour of free time here, two hours there, it makes you wonder when they sleep.

For non-athletes, the next time you are bored, check the athletics schedules on goashlandeagles.com. In fact, post them somewhere in your room. Chances are there is a game you could go to almost every week. I’m almost certain the athletes competing would appreciate your presence.

Have some swipes left over at the end of the semester? Use them to buy some Ashland gear at the bookstore. When people ask you about Ashland, tell them: “I go to the school with the third best athletics program in Division II.” The Eagles are stronger than ever, so it only makes sense that Eagle Nation should be too.

Even when you are walking around campus or in Convo, recognize the athletes in your presence. I’m not saying that you should feel they are more important than you or put them on a pedestal. Simply wish them luck in their next game or ask them how the last one went.

Hear of a great Eagle triumph? Chances are one of the team members is in your class.

Having such a high percentage of student-athletes doesn’t have to be a nuisance. It’s actually pretty cool.

Going back the the party I was at last spring, maybe my friend wasn’t being so ridiculous in his excitement. There aren’t too many places where All-Americans and national champions from several different sports can end up at the same weekend party.