Madison Weekly: Finding Balance

It is not secret to Panther fans that senior guard Madison Weekly is a well-balanced young woman. Not only is she a two-time first-team all-conference selection on the court, but she was named Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016 for her achievements off the court.

School and basketball go hand-in-hand for Weekly, whose passion for both started at a very young age.

"I would say my passion for basketball started pretty young," the Atkins, Iowa, native said. "Basketball has always been my favorite sport and my getaway. I have been able to experience so many new things and placed because of it."

Growing up playing a competitive sport, it quickly became a dream of hers to be a collegiate athlete. But with that dream, also came the realization that hard work in the classroom would come along with it.

"For me, grades are just as important as basketball," Weekly said. "Throughout middle and high school, I made a commitment to school. My parents were a big influence with this. They helped me understand how important school was and made sure I was trying my hardest and getting things done on time."

Time management and staying organized has been key for Weekly while she juggles being a Division I athletes and a top student here at UNI. The senior is currently averaging 16.1 points per game this season while maintaining a 3.82 GPA, the definition of good balance.

"I think having a balance of school and athletics is important because I think you can learn valuable lessons from both. It has helped me learn to manage my time."

In high school, Weekly averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game, making it clear she was going to have a future in basketball. She still holds the Benton Community High School records for field goals made, three-pointers made, points and steals in a season, playing in both the Eastern Iowa and Iowa Girls Coaches Association All-Star games.

"It was always my dream to play college basketball," Weekly said. "I love playing the game with people who have the same amount of passion for basketball that I do. I chose UNI because I really liked the coaching staff and the team. I also liked UNI from an academic standpoint. UNI has a great program for business and accounting."

Weekly will graduate this May with a degree in accounting. She chose accounting because she says she has always loved numbers, and numbers is what she has been providing this season.

The senior is averaging 16.1 points per game through 14 games, scoring her 1,500^th career point in UNI's win over Evansville on Jan. 8. She is just the fourth player in program history to reach the 1,500 career-point mark and is also ranked in the top-three all-time at UNI in career three-pointers made (222).

Last season, she became just the second player in UNI history to score 600-plus points in a season while also earning her second straight first-team selection to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. But it was one award that she felt grateful to receive for not only herself, but her team as well.

"It was a great honor to win MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year," Weekly said. "Everyone on our team takes a lot of pride in not only what we do on the court, but also in the classroom. It takes a lot to balance school and basketball, but the entire team does a great job of being able to have that balance."

The balance has been evident with UNI women's basketball with the Panthers being ranked in the top-15 in team GPA in NCAA Division I basketball 13 times in program history. Most recently, UNI ranked No. 8 in the country in 2016 and has already brought in a team GPA of 3.61 from the fall semester.

Weekly was recently named a candidate for the 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award, given to a senior in NCAA women's basketball that achieves high standards in the community, classroom, in character and in competition. And with the support of her friends, family, teammates and coaches, this senior has been first CLASS since stepping on campus four years ago.

"The greatest influence in my life is my family," Weekly said. "They have pushed me to be the best I can be. Being able to balance school and basketball takes a lot of hard work and organization, but in the end all the time you put into it, is worth it."

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