Mehl and Lyke; advocating for academic and athletic excellence

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The term student-athlete is not always taken seriously at much larger universities, but at a prestigious institution with as much academic tradition as Occidental College, it strictly applies. Academics come first and athletics second.

It is a difficult balance that takes a certain type of driven student-athlete to juggle and a certain type of support staff to ensure.

That is where the faculty athletics representative—a professor that serves as the bridge between the academic and athletic communities at NCAA institutions—comes in.

At Occidental, that role is played by Lynn Mehl and Linda Lyke, two women that have an unusually exceptional knowledge of academic and athletic excellence.

 "It's like a checks and balance system to make sure everyone is on the same page," Mehl said. "The FARs are really the vehicle for assessing eligibility and are also there to be the advocate to the faculty about the athletic programs."

 Mehl, who is the Chair of the Kinesiology program, coached the Occidental women's tennis team that won the first NCAA Division III women's tennis national championship in 1982 and served two stints as the school's athletic director, from 1981-82 and 1986-92. Mehl was named the Wilson-ITCA Division III Coach of the Year in 1983 and led the Tigers to consecutive third place national rankings in the two years following the landmark title.

 "It was so exciting for everybody that was involved," Mehl said. "Just to realize that you just won the whole thing as the best tennis team in the nation. …It was so surreal."

 Lyke is a professor of art history and visual arts who too has an impressive sports resume. Both of Lyke's daughters were student-athletes at Harvard University, her daughter Gia is an assistant tennis coach at Oxy and her husband Michael volunteered as the Oxy Rugby Club coach for 33 years. Lyke, a former two-sport collegiate student-athlete at Kent State University, remains an avid tennis player today.

 To say that Lyke and Mehl are well versed in the commitment Occidental students have to make to be successful academically and athletically is an understatement.

 "We're extremely fortunate to have two women working with our department and our student-athletes who are as accomplished as Lynn and Linda," Occidental athletic director Jaime Hoffman said. "They bring expertise in all aspects of the student-athlete experience."

 Their knowledge comes with passion. Both are prominent professors in their respected disciplines that believe in athletics as a part of a small college's mission.

 "I think it's the connection between mind and body," Lyke said. "Having a sport and excelling in that I think helps students in their academic lives. They need time to try something different that challenges them in a different way than say reading and understand new fields."

At Occidental, bright individuals have a unique opportunity to challenge themselves in the classroom and on the playing field.

"I think the students are here to study, but also here to play their sport," Lyke said.

 Oxy offers 21 intercollegiate sports programs with more than 400 competing student-athletes, almost a fifth of the school's total undergraduate population. When you add in the seven club sports and lively intramural program, you have athletics at varying levels for most of the student body to enjoy.

 "Sport has all kinds of benefits in terms of personal body. I think it's great for Oxy to encourage students to go into something at the varsity or club level," Lyke said. "Even students that aren't involved per se can come in and use the workout room. It just makes them healthier while they're at Oxy."

 At a small liberal arts school like Oxy, Mehl thinks intercollegiate athletics can fit into the greater mission of the college in the same way it fits in at big schools like UCLA and USC or comparable small colleges like Amherst and Williams.

 "There's such comradery and team spirit that develops on campus that, even if you're not a student athlete, you can rally around the program," Mehl said. "You're living vicariously through athletics, but are also a part of them."

The responsibility for the faculty athletics representatives is not limited to just the Eagle Rock campus. Mehl and Lyke are two important voices at Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meetings.

"The key role is that we go to SCIAC meetings and discuss issues in sort of a guidance role between sport and academics," Lyke said. "Part of what we're here to do is to be sure coaches and students are following (NCAA) Division III guidelines."

While most of the work Mehl and Lyke do will go unnoticed, their presence as great representatives will be felt on campus.

 "Lynn and Linda are great representatives for both athletics and faculty," Hoffman said. "They exemplify the type of academically and athletically driven individual that we're trying to recruit to Occidental."