Senior Spotlight: Stevie Crisosto
April 14, 2009
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The life of a college student-athlete strays far from the glitz and glamour reputation much of the general public looks upon it as having and requires hours of hard work and sacrifice in order to enjoy the successes that it can bring.
For Stevie Crisosto, the pains and sacrifices that comes along with being a student-athlete were felt immediately, but she worked through them and has achieved much success at KU.
On the surface, life seems to come easy for Crisosto. She is a four-year starter for head coach Tracy Bunge and has received accolades for her successes in the classroom and on the softball diamond. Crisosto was named Academic All-Big 12 second team in 2008 and earned All-Big 12 Second Team Honors in 2007.
The struggles of going to school and working harder than ever physically almost pushed Crisosto back home to her native California during her first semester at KU.
“If it was up to me I would have probably gone home during my first semester,” said Crisosto. “You have to learn great time management skills very fast, as you are trying to juggle coming to college, going to school, and pushing yourself physically harder than you ever have in your life.”
Another adjustment comes in the spring for a freshman softball player as she quickly figures out that she is entering into competition with all-stars from all around the country.
“Another big adjustment for me came on the field. Everyone is an all-star where they came from and were always the best player on their teams growing up, but once you get to college, the competition becomes far more difficult.”
Crisosto was immediately thrown into the fire, starting 60 of the Jayhawks’ 62 games during her freshman campaign, yet Crisosto seemed unfazed by the task, committing just two errors on the season.
“I was talking to Coach Bunge the other day about my fondest memories as a Jayhawk and I really think it was my freshman year when we went down and won the Big 12 Championship when no one gave us a shot.”
Another major adjustment for athletes when they come to college is the amount of time you spend with teammates from all over the country with different backgrounds and interests.
To Crisosto the diversity that she and the rest of the 2009 senior class enjoy helps the team.
“We are all different people, but we know that when we are on the field we are all in it together. Each player clicks with certain younger players better and we each know the players that we try to help along through the growing pains that we experienced.”
Crisosto, who will graduate next December with a journalism degree, thinks that the life lessons learned from being a student-athlete will do nothing but help her in future career.
“A lot of times I get scared because a lot of my classmates have internships or more experience than I do because I don’t have the opportunity to do these things while playing softball, but all the employers that I have talked to tell me that they know how many things you learn from playing college sports and that I have nothing to worry about.”
One possible dream job for Crisosto is working for her hometown San Francisco Giants in the media relations department. Crisosto has also talked to both the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals about possible employment opportunities in the future.
“It would be great to be able to go home to California and work for the Giants. I have had so much fun going to their games growing up at Candlestick Park and now their new stadium.”
Wherever Stevie Crisosto ends up, there is a good chance that the experiences she has enjoyed as a student-athlete at the University of Kansas and the successes she has earned on and off the softball diamond will carry over to more accomplishments in her professional career.
