The best of both worlds

When Andrew Baseley '29 was looking at colleges, he didn't want to leave one of his passions behind for the sake of the other. He found Mount Marty University to be a place where both his football cleats and his saxophone could share the spotlight. 

Inspired by his musically inclined family, specifically his older brother, Baseley played the saxophone throughout middle school and high school. “I always looked up to him,” Baseley explained. “I was always hanging out with him and playing with him.”

Now at Mount Marty, music serves as an escape from his course work. In his spare time, he can be found playing jazz or performing with the Communiversity Concert Band and the Lancer Jamz Pep Band. He enjoys being a part of these groups because they allow him to connect with students and staff he might not have otherwise met on campus. 

Baseley also builds community as an offensive lineman on the football team. While he was originally “volun-told” as a high school freshman to participate, he was excited to yet again follow in his brother’s footsteps. The bond over the sport quickly turned into a fun sibling rivalry. “I told him I’d be better than him eventually,” he joked. The sport now brings him genuine joy and camaraderie at Mount Marty. He enjoys everything from bus-ride games and locker room conversations to position-bonding events like karaoke with his team. 

Managing two passions like Baseley does is a balancing act made easier by the coaches and faculty he has in his corner. From music professors to the football staff, Baseley finds them to always be supportive and rooting for his success. “They all know me. It’s easy to talk to anyone about whatever it is, whether that be academics, sports, film or even if it’s just personal,” he said. Baseley especially appreciates Assistant Football Coach Jacob Wiebelhaus' friendly and encouraging approach sharing, “He’s going to help you along through it and do whatever it takes for you to be successful.” 

Through his coursework, Baseley has learned the art of prioritization. “I was always told, ‘Do what you can, do whatever you can, and do everything you can do within that,'” he explained. "And now I’m being told, 'Don’t take every commitment you can. But stay committed to the ones that you’re committing to and focus on those instead of trying to stress yourself out over everything else.'” This shift in advice comes in handy when balancing his schooling and extracurriculars. 

Baseley is currently majoring in music, a program that recently returned to the university catalog. He hopes to teach high school music upon graduation. 

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About Mount Marty University

Founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, recreation management, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops well-rounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.