Matt Sacia ’19
Biology, Football

2017-18 honors: IIAC MVP, Second-team All-Region, Gagliardi Trophy finalist

Why did you decide to attend Wartburg?

Both of my parents went here. Then through the recruiting process, Wartburg had everything to offer with good academics and strong athletics. Ultimately, that was one of the biggest draws.

How did the coaching staff emphasize academics once you were on campus?

For football, every freshman is required to do study tables two times a week, and that is supervised by one of the coaches. That was helpful for learning how to carve out time to get school work done during the season. After that, anyone with any academic concerns was required to continue study tables. The coaches always stress coming to them if we are struggling.

How were you able to balance both athletics and academics?

The amount of time our practices and meetings take up in a single day is quite a bit. I had to learn to utilize those small breaks to make sure I got my work done, but I found that actually worked for me, and I did better during the season.

What is the benefit of being at a Division III school?

I think the focus and purpose of a DIII school is to allow students to have a good academic experience paired with a good athletic experience. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice one or the other. It’s helpful because I’ve learned a lot of things through football and sports that you don’t always learn in the classroom, about life and hard work and discipline and things like that. Putting two challenging aspects together really strengthens people and has a positive effect on the majority of DIII athletes.

What were your thoughts on being a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy?

It was really unique and a big honor to be considered as one of the four finalists. It’s such an honorable award that encompasses athletics and academics and service all in one.