College Admissions 101 - Balancing School and Sport

October 30, 2024

We asked our 2024 Summer Interns to give advice on a variety of topics for student-athletes entering the college admission process. Next up, we asked Bryan Kane to discuss balancing school and sport.

Q: What school do you go to?

BK: Western New England University

Q: Why did you choose your school?

BK: I picked Western New England because of the great sports management program, along with being able to play football.

Q: What factors influenced your decision?

BK: Some of the factors that influenced my decision were the family aspect of the football team. When I went to visit it felt like a place where I would enjoy being every day. I also went to a very small high school so I wanted to transition into a smaller college because I felt like that would be easier for me. The coaches at Western New England also made me feel like that was a place that I was going to excel academically and athletically which was ultimately what I wanted to do.

Q: When choosing classes, how does the practice/game schedule affect your choices?

BK: When I’m choosing classes my practice schedule has rarely affected my choices. We have set practice times every day of the week and they normally don't change. It allows the athletes to pick their schedule around practice very easily. If there is a class conflict it is never an issue to take that class. Our coaches want it to succeed outside of football as much as they do inside of football. There may be times when a class interferes with meetings which are out of our control. If that happens you have to take responsibility and have a meeting in the morning with your coach to make sure you have the playbook down and ready to go for the game on Saturday.

Q:What skills are important to balancing school and sport?

BK: The biggest skill you need to have to balance school and football is time management. Throughout the season there will be times where you feel like a lot of stuff is adding up and you don't know how you're going to finish all your work, but we have study hall every week of the season. Many times this is where I will finish all my homework for the week. That just allows me to not feel like I have an overwhelming amount of stuff to do on top of learning the plays that we are putting in. As a freshman, I had a reality check when it came to the workload of being a student athlete. But once you get into the swing of things and start to understand that when you have downtime, you should finish that paper, instead of laying down and taking a nap or playing xbox. Once you are able to find your way of finishing all your work and preparing for practice/games you will find that it isn't as hard as you think it is.

Q: What advice do you have for an incoming college student or someone going through the process of choosing?

BK: Some advice I have for incoming freshmen is that you need to trust the process. When I was freshman in college I just thought that was some of the seniors telling me that and I didn't really listen. Going into my senior year I wish I did listen to them because it would have saved me a lot of worrying and stress. When I was a freshman in college, I wasn't doing great in school and I was not playing. And every year I have progressed in school and football. Some things take time and it's a learning process when you get to college. I also didn't understand that I was going into college and playing football with grown men. I was a very small freshman who played every single snap of high school football. When I got to school I quickly realized I wasn't the top player anymore and for a lot of people that's hard to hear. I believe the best advice for an incoming freshman is that you need to trust the process.

For someone who is choosing a home for the next 4 years, in my opinion you need to choose a place where it feels like home and somewhere where you find yourself succeeding in whichever way you choose. I picked Western New England because I felt wanted. I felt like the professors that I met and the coaches wanted me there. You need to feel welcomed and wanted at the school you choose for the next 4 years.

Q: Now that you have been in school what are some things you wish you knew beforehand

BK: Now that I have been at school, one thing I wish I knew beforehand is that college really does go by as quick as people tell you. I wish I listened to everyone telling me that you're going to blink and it will be your senior year. College isn't about going out every night of the week, it's about making connections with kids you would've never met, it's about those little moments you have with your friends that you will never forget. It's about taking advantage of the little time you have with the same group of friends for 4 years.

About Bryan Kane

Bryan Kane was an Operations Intern for the 2024 Summer Games. Bryan is from Millis, MA and graduated from Millis High School in 2021. He is in his senior year at Western New England University where he is majoring in Sports Management, and he hopes to pursue a career in sports. This year, he plans to finish his degree and complete his final year as a safety for the Western New England Golden Bears.

See more recruiting tools and college admissions process information at our Recruiting Tools page.

College Admissions 101 Previous Posts

October 2, 2024 - Going to School Far From Home

October 9, 2024 - Transferring After Your First Year

October 16, 2024 - Experiencing a Career Ending Injury

October 23, 2024 - Not Playing Sports in College

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Bay State Games Inducts Three Into the 2026 Hall of Fame

August 26, 2026

Representative Patricia Haddad (legislative leadership), Representative John Barrett (legislative leadership), and Ryan McCarthy (baseball coach) have been selected for induction into the 2026 Bay State Games’ Hall of Fame. The inductees will receive their award at a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park on Sunday, June 14 prior to the Red Sox game against Texas. The Bay State Games Hall of Fame was created to recognize past participants who have gone on to prestigious and successful athletic careers, as well as former and current coaches, officials, sports organizers, and volunteers who have made significant contributions to the organization throughout its 38-year history. Past inductees among the over 60 previous honorees include the NBA’s Dana Barros (‘06), Pat Connaughton (‘25) and the late Reggie Lewis (‘02); WNBA’s Rebecca Lobo (‘03); Major League Baseball’s Rich Hill (‘13); Olympians Nancy Kerrigan (‘07), Ada Korkhin (‘25) and Samantha Livingstone (‘18) and US Paralympic Gold Medalist Joe Lemar (‘15). “The Bay State Games is proud of the many athletes who have participated in the program and gone on to achieve success at the collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels. We are equally proud of the coaches, sport organizers, community leaders, and supporters whose dedication, expertise, and generosity have helped make the Bay State Games possible.” Said Kevin Cummings, the Bay State Games Executive Director. “We are honored to recognize this year's Hall of Fame class and celebrate the significant contributions each inductee has made to the Bay State Games. Their commitment, leadership, and lasting impact have strengthened the organization and enriched the experience of countless athletes throughout the Commonwealth.” REP. PATRICIA HADDAD - LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP Massachusetts State Representative Patricia Haddad championed state support for the Bay State Games for over two decades. She has supported the recreation, health, and education-based programs of the organization that benefit thousands of Massachusetts participants each year. A former teacher for 14 years, Rep. Haddad represented the 5th Bristol District for 25 years and served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for ten years. REP. JOHN BARRETT - LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP Massachusetts State Representative John Barrett from Berkshire County has been a strong supporter of the Bay State Games since the mid-1980s. Rep. Barrett was instrumental in bringing the Winter Games to Berkshire County, where they have been held for over 35 years. He has served as State Representative for Berkshire County since 2017 and was formerly Mayor of North Adams for 26 years. Rep. Barrett is also a leading advocate of the statewide Summer Games. RYAN MCCARTHY - BASEBALL COACH Ryan McCarthy from Portsmouth has served as volunteer baseball coach at the Bay State Games for over two decades. He has led the Northeast team to numerous championship medals. Ryan has devoted more than 25 years to coaching high school student-athletes in both baseball and football at Triton Regional High School, Newburyport High School, and Dighton-Rehoboth High School. He has had a positive impact on countless Massachusetts high school student-athletes. For more on the Bay State Games Hall of Fame and past inductees, click here. https://www.baystategames.org/hall-of-fame

Bay State Games Announces 2026 Athletes of the Year

August 25, 2026

Bay State Games is excited to announce its selections for the 2026 Athlete of the Year Awards. Any athlete who participated in the 2026 Bay State Summer or Winter Games was eligible to be nominated for these awards. Selection is based on participation in the Games and other athletic achievements. The 2026 selections are: Female Youth Athlete – Dana Howling Wolf Keller Male Youth Athlete – Holden Choma Female Adult Athlete – Kiara Cabral Male Adult Athlete - Jacob DeAndrade Dana Howling Wolf Keller , 17, of Shrewsbury, is a senior at Notre Dame Academy in Worcester and an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Native American Tribe. Volleyball has been a major part of her life. She started unable to serve over the net but, after countless hours of dedication, has turned serving into one of her strengths and learned that confidence is built through persistence. Dana plays setter and right side for her high school team and SLAM national club team, and captains both teams. She was named to the 2025 Central MA Athletic Conference All-Star Team and represented her school as a MIAA sportsmanship delegate. Dana represented the Central region for Girls Volleyball in the Bay State Games in 2024 & 2026. This year, she was also named the sportsmanship recipient for the Central Girls Volleyball team. Dana has also been a Bay State Games High School Ambassador. She has committed to continue playing volleyball in college at the University of St. Joseph (CT). Off the court, Dana extensively volunteers at the Shrewsbury Public Library and Shrewsbury Special Olympics. Notre Dame Academy honored her with the Katherine Forbes Eskrine Award for her community service. Dana is also active in her parish's youth group and has participated in several Catholic leadership programs. She aspires to become a forensic pathologist, and last summer served as a lab assistant to Dr. Ann Burgess in Boston College's Forensic Science Summer Program. Holden Choma, 17, of West Newbury, is a senior at Pentucket Regional High School. Holden has competed in Track and Field since his freshman year and specializes in the high jump. He dedicated himself to jumping higher, and in his first year, he improved from 5'2 to 6'6.75, and was at the top of the MIAA. He is also a 2x USATF Region 1 champion in the high jump. He also competed at the 2025 USATF Junior Olympics and was the 15-16 National Runner-Up. This year he faced a setback after suffering a patellar tendon tear on his jumping leg. After nearly a year to fully heal, he was the MIAA Division 5 champion in the spring, and this summer he competed in his second Bay State Games after winning silver in the 2025 high jump. Holden broke his slump by shattering a 30-year-old Bay State Games record in the high jump at 2.05m (6'8.75) and took home the gold medal. Outside of jumping, Holden enjoys volunteering at Ipswich Junior Sailing, teaching children how to sail safely, and now works as an instructor. As a member of his school's band, he marched in West Newbury's Veterans Day Parade and held a private performance for local veterans. Kiara Cabral, 23, of Somerset, is a recent graduate of Bridgewater State University. She also competed as a student-athlete on the track and field team in sprinting events. She had a storied career as a Bridgewater State Bear achieving accolades from the school to the national level. Kiara was named 2026 Woman’s Athlete of the Year by Bridgewater State and holds five school records in 60m Indoor, 200m Indoor, 400m Indoor + Outdoor, 500m Indoor, and 4x100 Outdoor. In the MASCAC conference she holds six championship titles which she earned from 2022 to 2026. The conference named Kiara Athlete of the Week on 21 occasions and she holds two conference records in the 4x100 and the 400m. Kiara was placed on the All-Academic team for three seasons and the Sportsmanship team once. She has been nationally recognized as an NCAA All-American and qualified for both the indoor and outdoor nationals in 2025 and the indoor nationals again in 2026. Kiara was first team All-American in the outdoor 4x100 relay in 2025 and the indoor 400m in 2026, and was named second team All-American for outdoor 400m in 2025. This summer, Kiara competed in the Bay State Games in the 100m and 200m events. She was the gold medalist in both events running a time of 12.51 in the 100m and 25.35 in the 200m. Kiara graduated last spring with a degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education. She has always had a passion for helping children understand and enjoy math, and will enter her first year teaching middle school math this fall. Jacob DeAndrade, 26 , of Foxboro, graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2024 with a Master of Business Administration and currently works in finance. Jacob was an accomplished student-athlete at Bridgewater State. In his rookie season at Bridgewater State, the school named him Rookie of the Year. He was a 10x Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference champion and a 3x member of the DIII All-Academic team. He is a 2x competitor in the Bay State Games Track and Field event. This year, Jacob had an especially impressive showing, earning gold in the 100m Open and 200m Open events with times of 10.83 and 22.04. In his free time, Jacob enjoys running, lifting, and playing soccer. Bay State Games Athlete of the Year recipients will receive a plaque commemorating their accomplishment. For more information on the Bay State Games Athlete of the Year program and past winners, go to www.baystategames.org/AOY .