Florida Gators

Training, travel and competition are key focuses for a professional athlete.

Two professional soccer players who wore the Gator uniform added another focus – class studies – to the already challenging professional athlete schedule.

Current National Women Soccer League (NWSL) players Claire Falknor and Adriana Leon – both standouts during their collegiate career – saw that focus result in a goal accomplished. This weekend, both graduate with a University of Florida bachelor's degree.

Both took breaks from their studies to start their professional careers, but recommitted to completing their education.

After earning 2015 All-America and All-Southeastern Conference honors as a senior, Falknor joined the Bayern Münich team in January of 2016. The defender returned from Germany in December and signed with the NWSL's Houston Dash in February.

The last credits needed for Falknor's degree are an internship, which she has worked to complete this summer at Athlete Training and Health in Houston. She said UF Coach Becky Burleigh was especially influential in convincing her to finish.

"It's important because I worked so hard to have good grades while playing soccer, and it's really important for me personally to finish my degree and utilize everything that I learned," Falknor said.

Falknor majored in applied physiology and kinesiology and will graduate from the College of Health and Human Performance. She said she had been considering finishing her degree for a while, and wanted to do so even while abroad.

"I felt like in Germany, it was hard to play over there knowing that I started something and didn't finish it," Falknor said. "It was sort of in the back of my mind and weighed on me."

Adriana Leon transferred to UF in 2012 after playing her first two seasons at Notre Dame. She helped the Gators win the 2012 SEC title and then in December, the NWSL announced its top prospects for its first draft. Leon was on that list and chose to be among Canada's allocated players. The Boston Breakers picked her and 160 days after her final collegiate match, Leon made her pro debut. Since that time, she has played for the Chicago Red Stars, FC Zurich in Switzerland, Western New York Flash and is currently back with the Breakers. She's also a part of the Canada Senior National Team and played on its 2015 FIFA World Cup roster.

Leon has been taking online classes through UF since the summer of 2013 to finish her degree. She said most of her time was taken up by studying for her classes when she wasn't busy with her soccer schedule.

"With my soccer schedule, it's pretty busy and I don't have that much free time. You need to study, whenever you can," Leon said. "It was tough to get it done over the last few years. I'm really glad it all worked out.

Her Breaker teammates were encouraging in the pursuit of her bachelor's degree.

"My entire team knew when I had my final exam. I was really stressing about it and was hitting the books all during that away trip," Leon said. "Everyone wished me luck and was really supportive."

"I am just really fortunate that I was able to complete my degree with Florida," Leon continued. "I don't think there are many universities that offer the online program like Florida does. I am just really fortunate I was able to complete it over the last few years and obviously very proud to officially be a college grad."

Leon is an anthropology major and will graduate from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She said she and her family wanted to attend graduation, but the Breakers play a home match Friday evening, making it difficult to make Saturday's 10 a.m. commencement ceremony. 

Soccer coach Becky Burleigh said she is excited to know that Falknor and Leon have put in the extra effort to finish.

"I'm going to be really proud of both of them," Burleigh said. "I think the longer you're out [of school], the harder it is. Especially in a pro career where you are pulled in lots of different directions. Even when you have the resources we do at Florida, it's still not easy."

Burleigh said she is thankful that Florida gives its athletes the opportunity to balance a pro-career with finishing education.

"That's kind of the beauty of coming to the University of Florida. UF wants you to get your degree as well, and so does our athletic staff. Whether that's us as coaches or the people in the Hawkins Center, they're going to use every resource they can to make that as easy as possible for you during that time when you're focusing on your career."