As part of the first ever Division III Week, Macalester Athletics is featuring student-athlete profiles to highlight the unique experiences of Macalester student-athletes. Each day a different attribute of the Division III identity will be featured with student-athletes who exemplify those characteristics. All student-athletes profiled were nominated by their coaches and peers to represent these attributes.

The Division III identity campaign defines what Division III stands for based on six attributes. The attribute in the spotlight for Tuesday, April 10, 2012, is Comprehensive Learning. The campaign defines it as follows: Comprehensive Learning - opportunity for broad-based education and success.

Today's profile student-athletes who represent comprehensive Learning are Jimmy Belfont (Jr, Olney, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) and Sasha Lansky (So., Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional). Please take some time to learn more about these outstanding Macalester student-athletes and their experiences at Macalester.

Other student-athletes who were nominated to represent comprehensive learning are as follows:
Pierce Peters - Men's Basketball
Jesse Geary - Men's Soccer
Lucy Miner - Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis
Domi Lauko - Men's Swimming and Diving
Grace Fleming - Women's Swimming and Diving, Water Polo
Glasha Marcon - Volleyball

Jimmy Belfont
Baseball
Junior- Olney, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel

Campus organizations and leadership roles: Relay for Life team member/participant

Study Abroad and Internship experience: Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS)- Copenhagen, Denmark, Fall 2011
Group Marketing Campaign- Nordea Markets (Copenhagen, Denmark)


What is your greatest memory so far of being a student-athlete at Macalester?
My greatest memory of being a student athlete at Macalester has to be clinching a playoff berth and being crowned co-conference champions last year at Concordia-Moorhead (Spring 2011). We swept Concordia in our final two games of the season, securing our place as co-conference champions with St. Thomas. Overall, it was an excellent experience and great achievement for the baseball program.

Why did you choose to compete at the Division III level?
Division III athletics place a greater emphasis on the student aspect of being a student-athlete. Academic success comes before athletic success, and this is one of the facets of Division III athletics, especially at Macalester, that I admire. Also the fact that Macalester offers both great athletic and great academic programs was probably the most influential aspect in my decision to participate on the Division III level.

What has been your most valuable lesson from your experiences outside of athletics while at Macalester?
Being a student-athlete has allowed me to form bonds not only on the baseball diamond but also in the classroom. The rigorous academics that Macalester offers have helped me to budget my time more efficiently in terms of schoolwork and athletics. Macalester has provided room to grow as an individual, an intellectual, and an athlete. With this blend, I feel like Macalester has prepared me for whatever challenges lie ahead in the future.

What has been your most valuable lesson from your experiences outside of athletics while at Macalester?
My study abroad experience was probably the most rewarding four months of my life. I had the opportunity to interact with people of a foreign culture everyday for four months, which allowed me to have a greater appreciation for my own culture and the culture of others. I also had the opportunity to experience other cultures and ways of life in countries that I never imagined I would ever travel to. Most importantly, my study abroad experience taught me to never doubt my capabilities, something which has definitely helped me both in academics and athletics this semester.

How have your learning experiences at Macalester helped shape your values or perspectives in a positive way?
Macalester has taught me to see the positives in every outcome. Regardless of whether you did as well as you had hoped to do on a particular test, there is always another opportunity to succeed so instead of living in the past, you have the opportunity to put in the extra work and learn from your past mistakes in order to do better in the future. The only way to grow as an individual is to learn from your past mistakes.

Sasha Lansky
Women's Cross Country
Sophomore - Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional

Campus organizations and leadership roles: MacBike co-leader, Tour Guide, Macalester Jewish Organization, Orientation Leader, Macalester Pursesnatchers, Ultimate Frisbee, Nordic Skiing

Volunteer and community involvement: Volunteered at Higher Ground Academy Spring 2011; Co-wrote and received an Action Fund grant through the CEC for Girls on the Move, a seven-week class for middle school-aged girls from Laura Jeffrey Academy to learn basic bike mechanics, grow more comfortable riding their bicycles on the street, and to experience the empowerment of being independent on one's bicycle. This is the class's second year. It is organized by four of MacBike's female members; Volunteer at Common Bond's sewing classes for East African women (Spring 2012); Work at Mount Zion Hebrew School.

Study abroad and internship experience: Steiner Summer Fellow at the Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, MA (Summer 2011), Intern for Opportunity Africa (Spring 2012), Interning at the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France (Summer 2012), will study abroad in Cameroon next year

 Head Women's Cross Country Coach Betsy Emerson says: ""Sasha has a deep passion for learning and immersing herself in situations, places and cultures that challenge her to discover more about herself and others. She is a wonderful representative for Macalester College when she leaves this campus and studies among others. She is a tremendous teammate for our women runners."

What is your greatest memory so far of being a student-athlete at Macalester?
I love the feeling of early Saturday morning Cross Country meets and coming back to Mac in time for brunch; the women of the Cross Country team are all on an adrenaline high while the rest of the school is just waking up. Another favorite part about being a member of the Cross Country team is participating in the Rainbow Run we hold during Coming Out week each October. We all dress up in different colors and run through the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood in rainbow order.

Why did you choose to compete at the Division III level?
I wanted to be part of team that would allow me to be an athlete, while still prioritizing the importance of academics. I also hoped that the team would provide me with a strong community as a first-year student. My adjustment to college was made so much easier because I had my teammates as a support network during my first semester.

How has being a student-athlete at Macalester helped you grow as an individual?
I have continued to try to learn how to balance everything I do (I am still working on it), but being on the Cross Country team, surrounded by teammates who also have double majors, lead clubs, and attend every event on campus, I have been inspired by their successes and accomplishments. By devoting so much time to a sport, I have realized that I am able to balance everything, and it's definitely true that running makes you smarter and more focused.


What has been your most valuable lesson from your experiences outside of athletics while at Macalester?

How have your learning experiences at Macalester helped shape your values or perspectives in a positive way?
All of my experiences at Macalester have continued to shape my values and perspectives. I think one of the most important classes I have taken so far at Macalester was Dianna Shandy's Refugees and Humanitarian Response. Although theoretical at times, the course had very real applications as we candidly discussed and de-romanticized the experience of aid workers going in to refugee camps. For someone who hopes to work in a humanitarian field someday, it was exciting to take a class that had such direct applications for my future work.