Blake Martin is the epitome of a student-athlete. The College Station, Texas, native is a four-year letter winner on the women’s soccer team, where she is fourth in program history with 6,469 minutes played. In her career, the defensive midfielder has three goals and three assists for nine points, as the team captain posted a career high three points last October against Nicholls. Martin helped the Huskies reach the Southland Conference Tournament in consecutive years in 2014- 15, including winning the first SLC title and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in November 2014. She was Great West Conference Newcomer of the Year and First Team AllGWC in 2012. Martin earned Honorable Mention National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-South Region honors in 2014, as well as being named the 2014-15 HBU Varsity Athlete Academic Award.
She has twice been named to the Southland Conference Honor Roll, is a three-time Academic All-Conference recipient, and earned CoSIDA Academic All-Region accolades. Earlier this month, Martin earned her second award from the NSCAA as she was named to the All-Central Region Third Team. Her work off the pitch is just as impressive as on. Martin has a 4.0 cumulative GPA in nursing and is a member of both the Alpha Chi National College and the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Honor Societies. Martin was one of 30 candidates for the prestigious NCAA Senior CLASS Award, given to a senior student-athlete who excels in athletics, academics, and community service.
In addition to the hours spent on the soccer field and in the classroom, Martin averages 16-20 hours per week in clinical training at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. She was a Houston Methodist Hospital 2015 Outstanding Student Nurse Scholarship nominee and was part of the Grampion Student Nursing Exchange Program to Scotland in May 2015. “I’m so thankful for the opportunities that have been given to me by God, my family, and everyone at HBU,” stated Martin. “My time as an NCAA student-athlete at HBU has provided me the chance to give back to my community and school in a way that has grown me as a person and will help me continue serving in the future.”
A two-time President of HBU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Martin helped organize and run a dodgeball tournament to raise money for Toys for Tots and has twice led the charge for SAAC’s volunteering of the Special Olympics Bowling Tournament. Her Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group has helped with Carter’s Kids, an organization that assists foster children in the Houston area. In May 2014, Martin and others went on a mission trip to Boston where they cleaned a park and painted over graffiti. She has also collected canned goods to the Houston Food Pantry and selected toys for the Salvation Army to children who would otherwise not have Christmas gifts
“Blake is the kind of student that should write a book called How to Strive in Nursing,” said Dr. Renae Schumann, Dean of the School of Nursing and Martin’s advisor. “Every college student-athlete should meet her. She has been a model student.”