The body works best when the mind is healthy.
At times, however, the mental-health aspects of college sports are overlooked, seen as unknowable or sacrificed to notions of toughness and perseverance. That attitude has changed over the years and the American Athletic Conference is adding to the conversation with its mental health initiative dubbed "POW6RFUL MINDS."
"People considered athletes as strong, they can't be weak, they can't struggle with anything," said Wichita State's Ryleigh Buck, a junior on the softball team. "They're supposed to overcome everything. That's not the case. We're going to have stress and we're going to struggle with things.