M.A. grads have tips for ambitious student-athletes

Minnehaha is well known for raising phenomenal student athletes, but what might not be as well known is the hard work that goes into becoming one.

From early morning workouts, to late night studying, college athletes know what it takes to play at a high level.

Many Minnehaha graduates who currently play in college or recently graduated shared their experiences and advice to current high school athletes dreaming to play at the college level. Their advice for building the habits that shaped their success falls into four key categories; academics, nutrition, sleep and faith.

Academics

“There’s definitely a lot more work in college,” said two-time school track and field record breaker Leah DiNardo (‘25), a first-year student-athlete at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Once getting to college, most alumni realized that the workload was greater than in high school. While some graduates believe that “Minnehaha Academy does a really great job at preparing kids for college,” said NCAA qualifier and MA graduate, Nicole Nipper (‘13) who ran cross country at Carleton College. Other students found that time management was crucial to succeed while participating in their sport. The most common thing that high school graduates wished they had done differently in high school to prepare for college was less procrastination and getting the work done early even when they were tired from practices, games, or meets. Some strategies that they used were to-do lists.

“Depending on how busy I was that week, I’d make both daily and weekly to-do lists to keep all of my assignments in order,” said girls basketball star Mia Curtis (‘20), who played three seasons at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and one as a graduate student at Santa Clara University in California. “It always felt good to check something off the list.”

Other students found it helpful to plan out times during the week focused on completing their homework.

Amina Allen

Amina Allen (‘25), studying sports management at Cowley College, said that she would “put homework at the top of my list before I can go hang out with friends or watch TV.”

Based on these responses, time management and discipline seemed to be the most important pieces to succeed academically while competing in college.

Nutrition

Beyond academics, nutrition played a huge role in how well student athletes performed and recovered.

The main advice that Minnehaha alumni had to give high schoolers about nutrition was to prioritize eating. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just a quick snack, don’t skip a meal, fuel your body. Eating something before practice or a game gives you more energy and ultimately helps you perform your best.

The main food groups college athletes said to target were protein, carbs, and veggies. As well as staying hydrated throughout the day by drinking lots of water.

Eating can definitely be a struggle when it comes to teenagers playing sports but it doesn’t have to be. An easy pregame meal that some football and basketball players had was just fruit. Though underrated, fruit provides quick energy, hydration, and some antioxidants to support muscle function and recovery, said Minnehaha Certified Athletic Trainer Kristen Fosness. It is the perfect choice before going all out to compete.

“Sometimes it’s hard because you might not be hungry [at the] moment, but your body will thank you mid-way through your workout,” said Curtis, who earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and Hispanic studies and is finishing up her masters in psychology.

Sleep

Just as nutrition fuels performance, sleep plays an equally important role in helping athletes recover and stay focused. Most alumni get about seven to eight hours of sleep a night.

“I felt that I always performed better when I got at least seven hours of sleep,” said Minnesota top-ranked football star, Kaden Johnson (‘20).

Getting enough sleep helps with your muscle recovery, lowers risk of injury, improves mental health, focus, and helps you perform better. A tactic some athletes use is taking short naps throughout the day to keep their energy up.

Without enough sleep athletes experience slower reaction time and a higher likelihood of making mistakes. Sleep is very important but prioritizing it means making sacrifices like missing concerts and some social events that other college students enjoy.

Everyday faith

Beyond the physical side of being an athlete, alumni also emphasized the role that faith played in staying grounded.

“I have a strong faith and belief that God gave me these athletic gifts for a reason, so I want to use them to glorify him,” said DiNardo, who is studying civil engineering at the University of St. Thomas. “I always try to remember that I am already fully loved and accepted by God before I go into a meet, and no matter how I perform that won’t change. That mindset helps me perform for the right reasons and gives me motivation.”

For many of these great athletes, faith has been something they could rely on when times got rough. They said they were able to trust that God would take care of them, and they were pieces of His great plan. Johnson said how Minnehaha became a place for him to dive deeper into who God was, and his faith grew more with every Thursday chapel.

“My [faith] helped me stay focused on my main goals and wanting to better myself as a man,” said Johnson, who studied communications and journalism.

Faith also had a huge impact on student athletes when deciding where to attend college. Curtis explained how she had to talk to God and figure out where he was calling them to bring their talents.

Altogether, these pieces of advice show that being a successful athlete isn’t just about strength or skill; it’s about staying grounded. Whether through academics, nutrition, sleep or faith, alumni leaned on something deeper than athletic ability to keep going. Their experiences remind today’s student-athletes that who you are off the field, track, or court is just as important as what you achieve on it.

Extra words of advice

Mia Curtis

“Be mindful of the process,” said Mia Curtis (‘20), who ranked in scoring, steals and assists while earning Academic All-Ivy and CSC Academic All-District honors at Dartmouth. “The journey can be just as memorable as the goals themselves. Find joy in the process and work, work, work. Enjoy what the game has to offer and want to be the best athlete you can be.”

• “Be proud of yourself no matter what,” said Leah DiNardo (‘25), a two-time record-breaking track and field athlete in high school who also competed in gymnastics and cross country. At the University of St. Thomas, she will compete in the 400-meter hurdles this spring season.

• “Always have a goal in mind and steps to achieve [it],” said Craig McDonald (‘20), a second-team all-state, two-time all-district athlete who led his team to the 2018 Class 4A state championship (football) and also lettered in track and basketball. He played football at Auburn and Iowa State where he earned Big 12 all-academic honors. “Comparing yourself to others won’t get you anywhere. Stay focused on yourself and where you want to be. Stay humble. Trust the process.”

• “Hard work can get you places,” said Amina Allen (‘25), a dominant presence on the basketball court who scored over 1,000 career points, grabbed more than 500 rebounds, and served as a varsity starter and team captain. “You gotta keep going. You are capable of a lot more than you think, both mentally and physically.” She will continue her athletic career at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kansas.

• “Always remember your why — why do you wake up in the morning and do what you do?” said Kaden Johnson (‘20), a top football recruit in Minnesota who earned first-team All-Metro honors in football and helped his school win back-to-back Class 2A state championships in basketball. He played football at University of Wisconsin from 2020–2023, before transferring to the University of Nevada-Reno.

• “Be the bear, get the salmon,” said Nicole Nipper (‘13), a Minnehaha graduate who ran track and field as well as cross country and took her talents to Carleton College, where she competed in the 1500 meter run and competed at the MIAC outdoor track and field championship. “Be fierce, know who you are, know where you’re trying to go … take the risk to go get it everyday.”