Hello everyone. My name is Alan Babbitt. I am the sports information director at Hope College. I am joined today by men's golfer Daniel Settecerri, the latest in a long list of accomplished Hope College student-athletes who were voted as College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-Americans.
Daniel is one of 45 men's recipients in the at-large category. Despite the cancellation of spring competition during COVID-19, CoSIDA continued its sponsorship of the Academic All-America® awards program. Student-athletes were selected based on career statistics.
On the course, Daniel is a three-time MIAA tea champion and three-time all-league selection. He helped the Flying Dutchmen post back-to-back Top 10 finishes at nationals in 2018 and 2019.
In the classroom, Daniel excelled as well, recording a 3.99 GPA while pursuing a degree in biology. He was selected as Hope College's Be Strong. Be True. Men's Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior. He is now working an associate sales representative for Synergy Surgical, a medical device company located in Birmingham, Michigan. He wants to pursue a career in the medical field after taking a gap year.
Daniel, welcome and congratulations on this CoSIDA Academic All-America honor. What does it mean to you? Is there anyone you would like to thank?
Settecerri: I am so honored to receive this award. I think it's a testament to the quality of the academics and athletics there are at Hope. I'm so faithfully supported by mentors, family members, teammates, coaches, athletic trainers and friends. Their encouragement along the way is what makes this award so meaningful and so special to me.
Babbitt: What do you cherish the most about being a Hope College golfer and student-athlete?
Settecerri: First and foremost, I just cherish the faith-filled community and brotherhood the men's golf team embodied over the four years that I was here, just the memories we were able to share. We went to multiple national tournaments, those memories there, just the support that I felt from faculty and stuff along the way. I felt I was a part of something much bigger than myself at Hope. I was constantly receiving emails from professors encouraging me, having the support of friends at some of the home tournaments we had, the constant support of mentors, whether that me through campus ministries and adults at Hope, helped make the Hope golf experience I'll forever cherish.
Babbitt: You accomplished a lot on the golf course and in the classroom. How were you able to make the most of everything you wanted to do at Hope as a student-athlete?
Settecerri: That's a good question and one honestly thinking about this, I thought it's easy to kind of answer like balance and finding motivation from other friends and faculty, but I think the answer is a little more complicated. For me being a college athlete requires you to make priorities throughout the weeks you're on campus and over the summer when you're training. I think you can you can prioritize success in the classroom, excellence on the athletic field and may be in your social life and relationships, and other things. There's no way to be the best at every category, but finding ways to be purposeful and meaningful in what you are investing your time in really helped me be the most productive. I think I found this rooted in my identity as a Christian man and with the support of my friends and my coach, Coach Lokers, and other teammates that helped motivate me to be the best I could be in what I was investing my time in, not just the overall of being a college athlete.
Babbitt: How did your time at Hope College and as an NCAA Division III student-athlete help you grow as a person?
Settecerri: My time at Hope really gave me the comprehensive opportunity to grow both competitively, then professionally and like you said faithfully as well. I was able to discover my role whether it be in leadership or in an athletic sense in these positions I held on the golf team. Then I was able to dedicate a lot of time and energy into worthwhile events and relationships and friendships with those I had around me. I think I was able to develop my faith and trust throughout the process as well. It allowed me to give more a holistic opportunity to discover passions I didn't do I had and spend time with people who challenged me to be better each and every day.
Babbitt: What advice would you give to a young student-athlete coming to Hope who wants to excel in both athletics and academics?
Settecerri: I think the time you can find to invest in the things that give you purpose will help you and motivate you when you're in the struggles of competition or the academic rigors throughout the semester. Being able to find a community, or if it's faith you're looking for, or anything else, just surround yourself with the best people you can, that motivate you and help you learn in different opportunities, be able to ask questions, be curious with these people and don't sacrifice the things that make you who you are because these opportunities, the chances you have with the mentors and the people around you will give you the strength when it comes to wanting to succeed on the athletic field and the classroom.
Babbitt: Thank you very much Daniel. Congratulations and good luck with your career in the medical field.
Settecerri: Thank you Alan.
