“You can’t be an athlete without being a student first,” said Pechin, a sophomore and resident of Yonkers. “If your grades are not good enough, you don’t play.”
Pechin is an example of an excellent student-athlete and she was honored for it. Pechin was selected the Association of Division III Independents January Student-Athlete of the Month.
“You look better for yourself, your team and your school, in general, when you have good grades,” said Pechin, a business major and Our Lady of Victory graduate.
In order to maintain her excellence in the classroom, Pechin said she makes a schedule every Sunday.
“I know what homework I have to do so I set aside my time for homework and studying,” Pechin said. “In high school, we always had the later practice so I could always get my homework done before practice.”
Pechin said there are days when she is tired, but she pushes through them because classes come first.
On the court, Pechin averaged 16.3 points per game, 4.3 steals, 4.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. Pechin had four games of 20-plus points, including a season-best 24 in a win over York College.
“This is more of a team effort overall because I didn’t get those stats by myself,” Pechin said. “In January, we got in the gym and learned how to play more together. We had more of a collective effort.”
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