Approximately 30 student-athletes at Cleveland State University gathered on October 11, 2026, for a Wellness Walk designed to encourage conversations about mental health, performance pressure and the importance of support beyond competitive sports.
The event brought together athletes from different Cleveland State teams in Cleveland, Ohio, offering an opportunity to connect outside their usual training and competition schedules.
Organized through the university’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the walk was held in connection with the national Student-Athlete Mental Health Week initiative coordinated by Hilinski’s Hope Foundation.
The event received attention in an October 21 report by Sage Colón, a journalist with The Cleveland Stater, who interviewed student leaders and the university’s athletic counselor about the psychological demands of college sports.
Among those involved were Dominik Cosic, a senior golfer and SAAC president; Olivia Cruz, a senior women’s soccer player and SAAC Student-Athlete Health & Performance officer; and Lena Harris, Cleveland State’s athletic counselor.
Their perspectives highlighted an important issue in college athletics: athletes may receive extensive preparation for physical competition while finding it more difficult to discuss stress, anxiety or the pressure to perform consistently.
The Wellness Walk was an awareness and community-building activity, not a clinical treatment program. Its significance lies in how student-athletes used a relatively simple event to encourage connection and make existing mental-health resources more visible.
For coaches, families and athletic departments, Cleveland State’s experience raises broader questions about how universities can support psychological well-being without treating competitive pressure as an unavoidable problem athletes must manage alone.
Cleveland State’s Wellness Walk Brings 30 Student-Athletes Together
On Sunday, October 11, approximately 30 Cleveland State student-athletes participated in the university’s Wellness Walk.
The original plan called for participants to gather at Edgewater Beach House, a recreational destination along Lake Erie.
However, concerns about potentially unfavorable weather led organizers to change the location.
Instead, athletes walked laps around the exterior of the Wolstein Center, Cleveland State’s multipurpose athletic arena.
The change meant the event could proceed while keeping participants close to the university’s athletics facilities.
According to the October 21 Cleveland Stater report, the gathering included athletes from multiple sports rather than a single team.
Before the walk began, Harris spoke briefly about mental health and thanked participants for attending.
Organizers also made informational pamphlets and stress-relief materials available.
The event did not involve athletic competition, performance evaluations or team rankings.
That distinction was central to its purpose.
College athletes frequently interact with one another through training, competition and institutional athletic activities. However, they may have fewer opportunities to discuss experiences unrelated to immediate sports performance.
A wellness event can provide a different environment for those conversations.
The reported attendance figure describes participation in one activity. It does not establish how many students subsequently accessed counseling services or whether the walk produced measurable changes in mental health.
Those outcomes would require separate evaluation.
Dominik Cosic Emphasizes The Importance Of Student-Athlete Leadership
Dominik Cosic, a senior majoring in information systems and technology, helped explain why Cleveland State organized the event.
Cosic competes on the university’s men’s golf team and serves as president of its Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
His involvement is important because SAAC provides a structure through which student-athletes can participate in discussions about their experiences and concerns.
Athletic departments make many decisions affecting training, travel, competition and student welfare.
Student advisory groups can provide a channel for athletes to communicate perspectives that may not always be visible to administrators.
In the October report, Cosic emphasized that mental health can receive insufficient attention within athletic environments.
He also described the value of bringing athletes together to demonstrate support.
His comments reflect a distinction between institutional programs and student-led participation.
A university can provide counseling services and educational resources, but athletes also influence whether conversations about mental health feel acceptable within their teams.
Student leaders may help normalize discussions by participating openly in awareness activities.
However, student leadership should not create an expectation that athletes must publicly disclose personal experiences.
Participation in a wellness event can be meaningful without requiring anyone to discuss a diagnosis, counseling history or private circumstances.
The role of student organizations is to encourage awareness and connection while helping participants understand where qualified professional support is available.
Olivia Cruz Highlights Connections Between Different Sports Teams
Olivia Cruz, a senior health science major on Cleveland State’s women’s soccer team, also participated in organizing the event.
Cruz serves as the SAAC Student-Athlete Health & Performance officer.
Her comments focused on the importance of relationships among athletes from different teams.
College athletes may spend considerable time with teammates who share similar training schedules, competition demands and academic commitments.
Those relationships can provide familiarity and support.
However, athletes from different sports may experience distinct pressures.
A golfer competing individually may encounter different performance expectations from a soccer player working within a larger team.
A swimmer, runner or basketball player may also face different schedules, competitive structures and physical demands.
Despite those differences, students may recognize common experiences involving uncertainty, self-expectations and balancing athletics with university life.
Cruz’s perspective suggests that cross-team activities can create opportunities for athletes to learn about one another outside their normal competitive environments.
The potential value is social rather than clinical.
A conversation with another athlete may help someone feel understood or become aware of available resources.
It does not replace professional assessment or treatment when mental-health concerns require clinical care.
The distinction allows peer relationships to be valued without assigning teammates responsibilities for which they are not trained.
Lena Harris Identifies Performance Pressure As A Common Challenge
One of the most important perspectives in the Cleveland State report came from Lena Harris, the university’s athletic counselor.
Harris was entering her third full year in that position when she spoke with The Cleveland Stater.
She identified anxiety and pressure to perform among the concerns she frequently encounters in her work with student-athletes.
Harris also discussed the expectations athletes place on themselves.
Competitive sports encourage preparation, consistency and improvement.
Those expectations can support athletic development, but they may also become difficult to manage when athletes interpret ordinary setbacks as personal failures.
Harris emphasized helping athletes understand that they will not meet every performance target.
Her comments highlight an important difference between pursuing excellence and expecting perfection.
An athlete may train responsibly, prepare carefully and compete with determination while still experiencing disappointing results.
Missed shots, difficult games, injuries and changes in playing time are possible parts of athletic participation.
They do not automatically indicate poor commitment or inadequate mental strength.
Harris also described athlete well-being as something that extends beyond college sports.
Her perspective recognizes that students eventually move into other stages of life, where the ability to understand personal needs and access appropriate support may remain important.
The International Olympic Committee’s 2026 consensus statement on athlete mental health similarly emphasizes that mental-health support should consider the environments in which athletes train and compete, not only individual symptoms.
Although the IOC statement primarily addresses elite athletes, its emphasis on organizational culture offers relevant context for college athletic departments.
Why Performance Pressure Can Affect College Athlete Mental Health
Performance pressure is not unique to college athletics.
Students, employees and other individuals may experience stress when expectations are high.
However, student-athletes often manage several demanding responsibilities simultaneously.
They may be expected to attend practices, compete in games or meets, travel with their teams, complete academic assignments and maintain eligibility requirements.
Some also have employment, family responsibilities or other commitments outside the university.
These overlapping demands can make time management and recovery more complicated.
Athletic performance may also become closely connected to personal identity.
A student who has spent years developing as an athlete may place considerable importance on results, playing time or recognition from coaches.
That connection is not inherently harmful.
Sport can provide structure, achievement, friendships and a sense of belonging.
Difficulties may arise when an athlete feels that personal worth depends entirely on competitive success.
Research does not establish that every student-athlete experiences unhealthy performance pressure.
Individual responses depend on personal circumstances, available support, competitive environments and other factors.
Nevertheless, the NCAA Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Study provides evidence that psychological well-being remains an important issue across college sports.
The NCAA collected responses from more than 23,000 student-athletes across all three divisions during the 2022–23 academic year.
The study examined mental health, sleep, nutrition, substance use, body image and other dimensions of well-being.
Although several indicators of psychological distress improved compared with surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA reported that mental-health concerns remained elevated.
Those findings provide national context.
They do not establish the prevalence of anxiety or other conditions specifically among Cleveland State athletes attending the October 11 walk.
The Difference Between Competitive Motivation And Unhealthy Expectations
High expectations are common in competitive athletics.
Coaches may establish demanding training goals, and athletes may set ambitious standards for themselves.
Those practices are not automatically harmful.
The important question is how expectations are communicated, interpreted and managed.
An athlete who experiences a disappointing performance may respond by reviewing technique, discussing strategy or adjusting preparation with qualified coaching staff.
Another athlete may interpret the same performance as evidence of personal inadequacy.
Those reactions can differ even when the competitive result is identical.
Sports psychologist Kelli Moran-Miller, who leads sport psychology services at Stanford University, has discussed how elite athletes navigate performance pressure.
In a Stanford University discussion of performance stress, she describes the importance of understanding attention, preparation and the psychological demands of competition.
Performance-focused psychological skills may be useful in appropriate contexts, but they should not be confused with clinical treatment for mental-health disorders.
Persistent anxiety, significant emotional distress or difficulties affecting everyday functioning require individualized assessment.
The distinction is particularly important for coaches.
A coach can help athletes set realistic performance expectations and respond constructively to setbacks.
However, coaches should not attempt to diagnose anxiety disorders or prescribe mental-health treatment.
Those responsibilities belong to qualified healthcare professionals.
The Wellness Walk Followed National Student-Athlete Mental Health Week
Cleveland State’s event was connected to a broader national awareness initiative.
Hilinski’s Hope Foundation coordinated Student-Athlete Mental Health Week from October 3 through October 10, 2026.
Cleveland State held its Wellness Walk on October 11, immediately after the official national awareness period.
The foundation was established in 2018 by Mark and Kym Hilinski in memory of their son, Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski.
Its work focuses on reducing mental-health stigma, encouraging conversations and helping educational institutions connect athletes with appropriate resources.
The organization’s 2026 Student-Athlete Mental Health Week toolkit reported participation by more than 572 schools, spanning educational settings from middle schools to NCAA Division I programs.
The toolkit offered awareness materials, educational messages and suggestions for campus activities.
The campaign also included efforts to encourage schools to make mental-health support part of their ongoing athletic environments.
Cleveland State’s Wellness Walk was one local example of that broader initiative.
However, participation in an awareness campaign should not be interpreted as proof that a school has achieved particular mental-health outcomes.
Awareness activities can help communicate that support exists.
Their longer-term value depends in part on whether institutions maintain accessible, appropriate services and evaluate how effectively students can use them.
Cleveland State Provides Counseling And Mental Health Resources
The October 21 report identified several mental-health resources available to Cleveland State student-athletes.
Harris described support involving the university’s athletic counseling services, its campus Counseling Center and healthcare services associated with Cleveland Clinic.
According to her comments, the broader support network includes access to a sports psychologist, psychiatrist and team physician.
These professionals may address different needs.
Sport psychology services can include work related to performance, adjustment and psychological well-being, depending on the professional’s qualifications and role.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who can evaluate and treat mental-health conditions within their clinical scope.
Team physicians address medical concerns relevant to athlete health and participation.
The university’s Counseling Center also provides services for the wider student population.
According to Cleveland State University’s official Counseling Center information, available services include short-term individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatric consultation, referrals for longer-term treatment and outreach programs.
The center also offers appointments through in-person and telehealth arrangements.
Most counseling services are provided without an additional fee, although the university identifies a small charge for psychiatric services.
The center is located in Rhodes Tower, Room 1235, at 1860 East 22nd Street in Cleveland.
Students can contact the Counseling Center at 216-687-2277 to learn about the referral-screening process and available appointments.
The university describes confidentiality protections, subject to applicable exceptions.
Students should confirm current service arrangements, eligibility and appointment availability directly with the university.
Mental Health Awareness And Professional Treatment Serve Different Purposes
The Cleveland State Wellness Walk provides an example of how mental-health awareness and professional care can complement one another.
An awareness event may encourage athletes to discuss psychological well-being or learn about available services.
It may also make the subject more visible within an athletic department.
However, awareness alone does not establish whether someone needs clinical treatment.
A student experiencing temporary stress before an important competition may have different needs from someone experiencing persistent symptoms that interfere with sleep, schoolwork, relationships or daily functioning.
Similarly, participation in a group wellness activity does not establish that a mental-health condition has improved.
The National Institute of Mental Health’s guidance on seeking help recommends considering the severity, duration and everyday impact of symptoms.
The agency encourages professional help when symptoms are severe, persistent or significantly affect normal activities.
For athletic departments, this creates two related responsibilities.
The first is establishing an environment where students can discuss concerns without unnecessary stigma.
The second is maintaining clear pathways to qualified professionals when assessment or treatment is appropriate.
Neither responsibility replaces the other.
A campus can organize successful awareness activities while still needing to evaluate whether its clinical services are accessible.
Likewise, professional services may be available but remain underused if athletes are unsure how to seek help.
NCAA Mental Health Best Practices Set Expectations For Athletic Departments
The NCAA has established guidance intended to help member institutions support student-athlete mental health.
The second edition of its Mental Health Best Practices became effective on August 1, 2024.
The framework emphasizes four areas: creating healthy environments, identifying potential concerns through appropriate screening, maintaining written mental-health action plans and ensuring access to qualified mental-health services.
According to the NCAA Mental Health Best Practices, member schools are required to make mental-health services and resources available in a manner consistent with the framework.
The NCAA also recommends using validated tools to screen student-athletes for psychological distress at least annually, in consultation with appropriate healthcare professionals.
Screening is not the same as diagnosis.
A screening result may identify a reason for further evaluation, but it should not be treated as a definitive clinical conclusion.
The NCAA framework also emphasizes collaboration among athletic departments, healthcare providers and campus personnel.
This is relevant to Cleveland State because the university’s reported resources involve multiple professional roles and institutional services.
The Wellness Walk may help students become more familiar with that support network.
However, the event itself does not establish Cleveland State’s compliance status or demonstrate how every element of the NCAA framework is implemented.
Those questions require direct institutional information and appropriate evaluation.
Cross-Team Relationships Can Strengthen A Sense Of Belonging
One distinctive feature of Cleveland State’s event was its participation across different sports.
Student-athletes often spend much of their time within their own teams.
Training schedules, travel commitments and competitive calendars may limit opportunities to build relationships elsewhere in the athletic department.
Cross-team events can create a different social setting.
Athletes may discover shared experiences involving academic responsibilities, uncertainty about performance or adjustments to college life.
They may also encounter perspectives that differ from their own.
A student who participates in an individual sport may learn about the demands of a team-based competition.
An athlete approaching graduation may connect with younger students who are still adjusting to college.
These interactions do not necessarily produce measurable improvements in psychological health.
However, they can create opportunities for social connection.
The 2026 IOC consensus statement identifies social and organizational environments as important considerations in athlete mental health.
Its recommendations emphasize that support should extend beyond individual treatment to include leadership practices, team culture and appropriate institutional systems.
That approach helps explain why relationships matter even when a university already provides professional services.
Clinical care and everyday social connection serve different functions.
An athlete may benefit from both, depending on individual circumstances.
Coaches Can Support Mental Wellness Without Acting As Therapists
The Cleveland State story also has implications for coaches and athletic administrators.
Coaches influence how athletes interpret performance expectations, respond to setbacks and communicate concerns.
A team environment that treats every disappointing result as a personal failure may create different pressures from one that emphasizes preparation, accountability and constructive feedback.
That does not mean coaches should avoid demanding standards.
Competitive development often involves challenging goals and difficult decisions.
The responsibility is to communicate those expectations in ways that respect athlete well-being.
Coaches can also help students understand available support services.
For example, an athlete who reports persistent distress may need assistance identifying the appropriate university resource.
A coach can encourage the student to contact a qualified professional without attempting to provide treatment.
The Cleveland Clinic’s guidance on mental health in athletes discusses how competitive expectations and stigma may influence whether athletes seek assistance.
The guidance also emphasizes that mental-health concerns should be taken seriously rather than dismissed as failures of toughness.
Athletic administrators can support this approach through staff education, clear referral procedures and communication about confidentiality.
The goal is not to turn coaches into clinicians.
It is to make sure athletes are not discouraged from accessing qualified care.
Student-Athlete Mental Health Matters Beyond Graduation
Harris’ comments about helping athletes beyond their playing careers introduce another important dimension of the Cleveland State initiative.
College sports are temporary for most participants.
Even athletes who pursue professional competition eventually experience changes in their athletic roles.
Graduation, injuries, changing priorities and career transitions can all affect daily routines and personal identity.
For some students, sport has been a central part of life since childhood.
Moving away from organized competition may involve changes in friendships, schedules and expectations.
Those changes do not automatically create mental-health difficulties.
Many athletes adapt successfully and find meaningful opportunities in other areas.
However, transition periods can raise questions about identity, purpose and support.
The 2026 IOC consensus statement recommends considering mental-health needs during major transitions into, through and out of sport.
For college athletic departments, this suggests that wellness education should not focus exclusively on immediate competitive performance.
Students may also benefit from knowing how to access healthcare, maintain supportive relationships and navigate future responsibilities after graduation.
These are broader life considerations, not promises that participation in a particular wellness program will prevent psychological difficulties.
What A Wellness Walk Can And Cannot Accomplish
Cleveland State’s event demonstrates how a relatively small activity can bring mental-health awareness into an athletic community.
The gathering did not require a competitive tournament or large public ceremony.
It involved approximately 30 athletes, a familiar campus location, informational materials and opportunities for conversation.
Those elements made the event accessible within the university’s athletic environment.
However, the available reporting does not include formal participant surveys, follow-up assessments or evidence of changes in clinical outcomes.
It would therefore be inaccurate to claim that the Wellness Walk reduced anxiety, prevented depression or increased counseling utilization.
Its documented accomplishments are more specific.
Student-athletes from different sports participated.
Student leaders helped organize the activity.
The university’s athletic counselor discussed performance pressure and available support.
Participants received information about mental-health resources.
Those outcomes are meaningful as community engagement and awareness activities.
Determining longer-term effectiveness would require additional information, such as participant feedback, knowledge of available services and appropriate measures of program reach.
Such evaluation should respect student privacy and avoid collecting sensitive clinical information without appropriate safeguards.
The broader lesson is that awareness initiatives are most useful when they connect with ongoing institutional responsibilities.
When Student-Athletes Should Consider Professional Mental Health Support
Competitive stress does not automatically indicate a mental-health disorder.
Feeling nervous before a major game, disappointed after a loss or temporarily overwhelmed by a demanding schedule can be part of ordinary life.
However, persistent distress deserves attention.
Changes in sleep, concentration, appetite, mood, motivation or the ability to complete normal responsibilities may warrant a conversation with a qualified healthcare professional.
An athlete should also seek appropriate guidance when emotional difficulties begin interfering substantially with academic work, relationships or daily functioning.
The appropriate response depends on individual circumstances.
Some students may benefit from counseling or other professional services.
Others may need a different form of assessment or support.
Those decisions should be made with qualified professionals rather than based on assumptions about athletic performance.
Student-athletes at Cleveland State can contact the university’s Counseling Center or relevant athletics healthcare personnel for information about available services.
For people experiencing a mental-health crisis in the United States, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers confidential support by phone, text or online chat.
Immediate danger requires emergency assistance.
Seeking help should not be treated as evidence that an athlete lacks commitment, discipline or mental strength.
Cleveland State’s Wellness Walk Reinforces The Value Of Support Beyond Performance
The October 11 Wellness Walk at Cleveland State University brought together approximately 30 student-athletes around a subject that can be difficult to discuss in competitive environments.
The event also provided an opportunity for student leaders and university personnel to emphasize the importance of mental-health awareness.
Dominik Cosic highlighted the need to give psychological well-being greater attention within athletics.
Olivia Cruz emphasized relationships among athletes from different sports.
Lena Harris identified performance pressure and self-imposed expectations as concerns she frequently encounters in her professional work.
Together, those perspectives reflect an understanding of athlete well-being that extends beyond wins, losses and individual statistics.
The event was not a clinical intervention, and the available reporting does not establish measurable changes in participants’ mental health.
Its value lies in the example it provides of student-athlete leadership, cross-team connection and visibility for professional resources.
For universities, the continuing responsibility is to ensure that awareness is supported by accessible services, appropriate confidentiality protections and qualified professional care.
For coaches, it means recognizing that demanding athletic standards and respect for mental health can coexist.
For athletes, it means understanding that a difficult performance or a period of psychological distress does not determine their personal worth.
Cleveland State’s Wellness Walk illustrates a principle that applies across college sports: athletic achievement matters, but student-athletes also deserve support as people whose health, relationships and futures extend beyond competition.
