WESTERVILLE, Ohio — As the calendar flips into the month of April, the demands on a spring-sport student-athlete tend to intensify and it takes a special person to be able to navigate the pressures. Add to that the consideration of an athlete that is competing at a high level in their sport while working in a full time placement as a student teacher in two different disciplines at two local schools. Marietta College's Abby May is a prime example of a student-athlete that understands the challenge of balancing school and sports. The senior from Randolph, Ohio has been chosen as the OAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month.
May is currently carrying a 3.976 grade-point average as a special education and elementary duel degree major. She also serves as captain and starting goalkeeper for the Pioneer women’s lacrosse team. In her four-year career, May has become the all-time Pioneer leader in saves and victories. She led the Ohio Athletic Conference in saves in 2023, leading her to be named to the All-OAC second team. “Marietta lacrosse has been a constant in my life since the day I was recruited,” said May. “I felt a connection to help build the program from the ground up. I am so grateful that I have been able to be a leader for this team over the past four years and without the trust and respect of my teammates, I would be nowhere today on or off the field.”
“Abby is a shining example of what it means to be a student athlete not only for our team, but across our campus,” said Marietta head women’s lacrosse coach Lindsay Reho. “The leadership she has shown over this tough semester and her abilities as a captain on our team leave me no doubt that she will be such an incredible educator and role model for the future generations. I am so proud to coach Abby and lucky to know her impact as a student athlete has set the standard for our program for years to come.”
Last December, May participated, along with four other Marietta College students, in the Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) Symposium, a capstone conference sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Marietta students presented their research findings on “Assessing Rural Healthcare Workforce Needs.”
“The ACRI Symposium was an amazing opportunity,” said May. “I was able to meet up with scholars from other institutions, large and small, to discuss their initiatives in the Appalachian region. Our research centered around healthcare and the low health literacy rates in our area. Because of this research, Marietta College, partnered with the local Ely Chapman Education Foundation, is set to host a clinic to create an accessible option for families in our area to receive information and healthcare services at no cost to them.”
Looking back at her four years at Marietta, May says her student-athlete experience has been better than she could ever have imagined. “The education department has guided me all along the way,” said May. “Juggling lacrosse and school has been rough over the four years, but having a variety of professors that are very supportive of all my endeavors has made the world of difference. Whether its talking through make-up assignments, rescheduling an exam that I missed, or asking professors to attend our faculty/staff appreciation game, all professors here have been more than willing to work with me.”
