Next College Student Athlete Celebrates National Student Athlete Day With Mental Wellness Speaker Series

CHICAGO, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), the world's largest and most successful college athletic recruiting network, will celebrate National Student Athlete Day with an three-part webinar series titled, "Prioritizing Mental Wellness," on Tuesday, April 6.

The free, virtual speaker series will offer practical tools to help motivate student-athletes and stream live on NCSA's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels.

Parents and student-athletes are invited to attend webinars throughout the day and hear from mental conditioning experts, as well as collegiate and professional athletes as they discuss the importance of mental training and wellness for student-athletes.

"When sports came to an abrupt halt in 2020, it had a direct impact on student-athletes' physical and mental well-being," said NCSA President Lisa Strasman.

A University of Wisconsin study investigated how the loss of sports during COVID-19 affected high school athletes' mental wellness and found that athletes who played a sport during the pandemic were less likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression than athletes who did not play a sport.

"We wanted to recognize student-athletes for their strength and resilience over the last year and offer valuable resources and guidance to help them stay mentally and physically healthy," added Strasman.

See the complete schedule for NCSA's National Student Athlete Day speaker series "Prioritizing Mental Wellness" below:

1:00 p.m. ET
Lindsey Hamilton, Head of Mental Conditioning, IMG Academy
"See Yourself Be Successful: Building Confidence Through Imagery"

Join Lindsey Hamilton, IMG Academy's Head of Mental Conditioning, as she explains how using imagery in your mental preparation can help foster increased confidence and enhanced athletic performance.

3:30 p.m. ET
Austin Hatch, Former University of Michigan Basketball Athlete and Two-Time Plane Crash Survivor
"Overcome It"

Join Austin Hatch, a former University of Michigan basketball player and two-time plane crash survivor, as he shares how grit can help student-athletes in the midst of adversity and recounts his own story of tragedy, incomprehensible loss and ultimately triumph.

8:00 p.m. ET
Imani McGee-Stafford, WNBA Athlete, Dallas Wings
"You Will Always Be A Better Human Than Athlete"

Join WNBA Dallas Wings player, mental health advocate and poet Imani McGee-Stafford as she discusses how athletes can maintain a positive self-image and shape their identity beyond their sport while also prioritizing their mental health.

Founded in 2000 to help educate student-athletes and their families on the college athletic recruiting process, NCSA today works with families, club, high school and college coaches to helps hundreds of thousands of student-athletes find their best college fit.

Tune in and celebrate student-athletes using the hashtag #NationalStudentAthleteDay or #NatlSADay on social media. Learn more about NCSA and discover more mental training resources at www.ncsasports.org.

ABOUT NEXT COLLEGE STUDENT ATHLETE (NCSA)
Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) is the largest and most successful collegiate athletic recruiting network in the U.S. Part of Reigning Champs LLC, NCSA leverages proprietary technology and data with professional expertise and personal relationships, connecting tens of thousands of college-bound student-athletes to more than 35,000 college coaches nationwide across 34 sports each year.

NCSA its official recruiting partner of eight additional U.S. national governing bodies including USA Baseball, US Lacrosse, USA Field Hockey, USA Wrestling, USA Track and Field, USA Volleyball, USA Water Polo and US Youth Soccer.

Learn more about NCSA at www.ncsasports.org.

Contact: Lauren Pulte
[email protected]
(248) 885-2607

SOURCE Next College Student Athlete (NCSA)