Davidson is home to 21 Division I athletic teams and scholar-athletes make up about a quarter of Davidson’s student population. They all have the same therapist.
Madison See ’16 is the director of mental health for athletics at Davidson. Her role includes managing mental health programming, providing sports psychology and performance support for over 500 scholar-athletes.
“I’m able to help our athletes in any kind of mental wellness [topic], whether that’s sports performance, sports psychology or clinical mental health concerns like general support, stress, time management—they can come see me for that support,” See said.
See, who played women’s soccer for the ’Cats from 2012-2016, began her current role in 2024. Previously, she was a contract mental health provider with the athletic department. Students said See is a great resource whether talking about performance or general mental health concerns.
Nora Ratmeyer ’27 is a philosophy, politics and economics major who competes on Davidson’s swim and dive team. She said See’s popularity has made it difficult to schedule appointments with her.
“[See is] great, everybody would love to get appointments with her, [so much so] that it’s hard to accommodate for the entire student-athlete population,” Ratmeyer said.
Ratmeyer is also a member of SAAC, where she serves on the mental health resource subcommittee. SAAC is composed of 37 coach-appointed scholar-athletes who represent their team in discussions with Davidson’s Athletics department. Expanding mental health resources for athletes is a frequent topic of discussion at SAAC meetings.
“We talk about getting another school psychologist, or talk about trying to create a website with resources on mental health for the entire student athlete population, to be able to find everything in one place,” Ratmeyer said.
Marc Koch ‘26, a biology major on Davidson’s wrestling team, mirrored Ratmeyer’s sentiment.
“The availability is very difficult. Madison is typically booked and you have to work around both her schedule and your Davidson class and athletic schedule,” Koch said. “I wish we had more of her positions open. One per team would be most ideal.”
Although Davidson College only employs one sports psychologist, Vice President and Director of Athletics Chris Clunie has ensured that students can find support whenever needed.
“We trained all coaches and support staff in mental health first aid,” Clunie wrote in an email to The Davidsonian. “Our teams, through the Cats’ Care program, often work with organizations like The Hidden Opponent to sponsor games and bring awareness to mental health issues for athletes.”
The Hidden Opponent is a mental health advocacy nonprofit that works with athletes. Clunie said the Athletic Department also works with SAAC to bring speakers to campus.
The past two years, Athletics hosted Victoria Garrick and Kaleb Joseph. Both are mental health awareness speakers, writers and former Division I athletes. Joseph has spoken at various liberal arts colleges including Wellesley College, Bowdoin College and Williams College.
Clunie also developed the Cats Care Mentorship Program in 2022, pairing incoming freshmen with upperclassmen student-athletes from a different sport. “We want that cross-pollinization, and those upperclassmen are helping them with adjusting to Davidson, time management and mental health,” Clunie said in an interview with the Charlotte Observer.
Much of that cross-pollination happens naturally. With official resources in short supply, teams often end up creating supportive communities of their own.
“Within teams, I feel like team captains are always a good resource, and then [specifically] for swimming and diving, our coaches have been great,” Ratmeyer said. “[Our] upperclassmen mentors are like your buddy for the year, who will check up on you and meet you throughout the semester. They’re someone you can always reach out to if you need someone to talk to.”
See’s busy schedule means that many have to wait up to a month before landing an appointment. Ratmeyer said that when talking with her peers was not enough, she had to try out all the resources available to her.
“I went to the Student Health Center last spring because I wanted to talk about how to gain more confidence before races in the swim meets,” Raymeyer said. “It was kind of challenging, because you have to explain [to them] everything you’re thinking before a race, or explain how the sport works. It’s kind of easier if you are speaking to someone who’s had the same experiences.”
The shortage of specialized mental health resources for Davidson student-athletes could affect performance in the classroom and on the field. Koch said that combining the academic pressure of Davidson’s learning environment with the significant time commitment of Division I athletics is a major challenge for all student-athletes.
“Obviously we all want to get As and good class grades, but it is really difficult for us to manage that stress and pressure with a sports schedule and the determination to represent ourselves and the school at the highest level,” Koch said. “Oftentimes success and low moments will influence both the academic and athletic side of things.”