Daily Grind articles are posted every Wednesday to provide a look into a day in the life of a college athlete and give an example of time management skills.
Spencer Engstrom is a DII Ice Hockey player at Loyola Marymount University. He plays forward for the LMU Lions and wears number 21. Spencer is currently a sophomore at LMU and is on track to graduate with a bachelor's degree in business in 2024. Spencer has played ice hockey for a substantial portion of his life, and was even part of the State Championship Ice Hockey team in Connecticut.
LMU's ice hockey team is a part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, so Spencer's experience might be different than that of an NCAA hockey athlete. Here, he breaks down his daily schedule.
8:00 am-12:00 pm Classes (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Spencer gets his day started early with a couple morning classes. In between classes, Spencer will get some breakfast at the dining hall to make sure he has energy for the rest of the day.
12:00pm Lunch
After his morning classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Spencer gets lunch so he has the fuel for a long study session and practice later in the day.
12:00-4:00pm Homework/Workout
During this time after classes or before classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, Spencer takes this time to get his homework done and workout. On days where there isn't a scheduled team lift, he usually finds a teammate who wants to lift on their own time and heads over to the weight room during this time.
Related: University of Michigan Men's Ice Hockey Player Talks Recruiting and Having a Late Start
4:00 pm-7:30 pm Classes (Mondays and Wednesdays)
On Mondays and Wednesdays, Spencer takes a couple late classes which fit perfectly with his schedule since Ice Hockey practices are usually late at night.
9:40 pm-11:20pm Practice (Monday and Tuesday)
On Mondays and Tuesdays, Spencer drives off campus to the team's ice rink. Practices are late in order to accommodate all the players' school schedules and to avoid the infamous Los Angeles traffic.
9:40-11:20pm Team Lift (Wednesdays)
On Wednesdays, instead of a practice, the team lifts together on campus at the same late night time slot.
* Originally published on December 29, 2021, by Dylan Tehada
