Division III Week Student Spotlight – Pat Pickens
This week is NCAA Division III Week and member institutions across the country are celebrating the fourth-year event.
Division III Week, which runs from Monday through Sunday, is intended to recognize the academic and athletic accomplishments as well as the campus leadership and community service efforts of Division III student-athletes.
As part of Huntingdon College's participation in Division III Week, six student-athletes will be featured this week. Huntingdon senior Pat Pickens is today's featured athlete.
Name: Pat Pickens
Year: Senior
Hometown: Anniston, Ala.
Major: Art
Career Goals: Pursue a career as a professional basketball player
Sport: Women's Basketball
Athletic Accomplishments: Pickens set new standards and rewrote the Lady Hawks' record book during her four seasons at Huntingdon. As a senior, she scored a school-record 497 points and became the Lady Hawks' career-scoring leader with 1,473 points. She also set the Lady Hawks' single-game records for points (37) and rebounds (20) as a senior. In all, she set 17 of the program's career, season and single-game records, owns the top six single-game scoring performances, three of the top five single-season scoring performances and three of the top nine single-season rebounding performances. This season, she became the first Huntingdon women's basketball player to earn All-Region recognition when she was named second-team All-South Region by D3hoops.com. She was named to the Great South Athletic Conference All-Freshman team her first season, was All-Conference in the GSAC as a sophomore and All-Conference in the USA South as a junior and senior.
Academic Achievements and Campus Activities: Pickens is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Sigma Sigma Sigma Honor Society and is a Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. She has been on the Dean's List of High Honors, was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team as a senior and was a three-time Academic All-Conference selection in the USA South Athletic Conference and the Great South Athletic Conference. She has also served as a Huntingdon Ambassador, been a member of Ladies of Huntingdon and the Black Student Union.
What made you feel like Huntingdon was the right place for you? "What brought me to Huntingdon was the basketball program. The whole team was very inviting during my visits. However, what made me decide this was the right place for me was the family environment. Since my freshman year, I've felt this is my home away from home."
What has made your Huntingdon experience unique? "The small-school setting is unique because everyone knows each other. For me, that has created long-lasting friendships. Also, the way the professors work hard to make their offices available anytime, that's not something that happens at every school."
How has Huntingdon challenged you academically and athletically? "As an Art major, my professors helped me realize the difference between good art and great art. As a communications minor, I have learned to pay attention to my surroundings because everything is persuasive. Athletically, my biggest challenge was becoming a vocal leader. Leading by example and leading academically came easy to me. But voicing my opinion in a way where my teammates would receive it constructively, regardless of the situation at hand, was something I had to get used to."
What has been your biggest highlight as a student-athlete? "It would have to be winning the Great South Athletic Conference Tournament my sophomore year. That was my first championship ring and it allowed our team to make the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time and win our first NCAA Tournament game."
As a student-athlete, what is your impression of Division III now compared to first season? "When I first came here, I was told Division III schools focus more on academics than athletics. Now, I know that while academics are the main focus, schools like Huntingdon also recognize the importance of athletics. Division III is the same as any of the higher divisions. You are expected to work hard in class and on the court. Hard work and determination do not mean any more or any less because of the institution you come from. I'm proud to be a Division III athlete!"