McNamara Student-Athlete of the Week: Sydney Liles

Each week, the McNamara Academic Center for Student-Athletes (MAC) will recognize one University of Minnesota student-athlete for his or her academic achievements. The winner of the McNamara Student-Athlete of the Week for the week ending February 1st is Sydney Liles from Women’s Golf.

Coach Kris Wessinger believes that Sydney deserves to be honored.

“Sydney has done a wonderful job with her academics,” Wessinger said. “She really does an excellent time balancing her time with academics, athletics and also is very involved with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.”

Liles is a junior. She has a double major in Communication Studies and Studies in Cinema and Media Culture.

Academic Counselor Chelsie Schafer and Learning Specialists Todd Helmer and Mike Werner have seen great strides in the commitment that Sydney has given to academics.

“I enjoy watching Sydney take pride in her work,” Schafer said. “I know the coaches were very proud of her for being named a Scholar-Athlete. “

Helmer and Werner have been impressed with the amount of time that Liles has given to her studies. Helmer said, “Sydney has worked hard at developing skills and utilizing resources to achieve a very high GPA in her most recent semester.”

Werner believes that Sydney has been inspired to her academic achievements by finding two majors that she enjoys. “Sydney is far more confident in her abilities and continues to strive for academic excellence and improvement in her skills,” Werner stated.